Diplomacy
by Angelikah
Summary: Caroline likes to think of herself as a rational person, but Klaus is arrogant and irritating, and, in her personal opinion, could really do with some serious truth-bombs. So, she dropped some. Look, she never claimed to be tactful, okay? Klaroline-centric. AU. M for later smut.
1. Beginnings

**A/N: Hey, everyone! Because I can't go three seconds without publishing something new, here is the new HP/TVD cross-over. This story is basically the TVD characters in the HP universe as students at Hogwarts. Harry &amp; Friends will NOT be in the story, but most of the Professors will be.  
Note on sorting: I had a long argument with myself over where to put the characters, Caroline in particular. If you need me to justify my choice(s), I can do that for you in a PM.  
I have also made a few changes to how the classes work, both because there are some things in the book that just fundamentally do not make any sense, and I would hope that Prof. McGonagall would get her shit together and make the changes, and because it will make it more fun to read (hopefully). All I'm going to ask is that you suspend your disbelief (just roll with it) regarding the changes, and if you have any questions, feel free to mention them in your review, PM me, or ask me on tumblr :)  
This fic will start off Carenzo for just a few chapters, but will be Klaroline endgame.  
Thank you to justanotherfiveminutes for beta-work :)  
Enjoy!  
-Angie**

* * *

Caroline reached into her pocket to finger her brand new Prefect's badge and let out a deep breath. The wizarding population was getting smaller every year, and the student body at Hogwarts reflected that. Because of this, Prefects were assigned in sixth year rather than fifth year, and Caroline had practically danced around her kitchen when she got her badge in her letter.

She was equal parts excited and nervous for the upcoming school year. Once they entered sixth year they got to choose a narrower schedule, and she was excited because she'd get to focus on things that actually interested her. She was determined to get all Outstandings on her exams this year, which meant that she had to really buckle down and study.

She had big plans, and she wasn't going to let the fact that her best friend Katherine had absolutely no work ethic whatsoever stop her from achieving them.

She dragged her trunk to find a compartment for her and her friends, stopping when she saw one that was reasonably empty.

"Wingardium Leviosa," She said clearly, levitating her trunk into the luggage rack.

"Doing magic outside of school, Blondie? And you're a prefect too," A voice from behind her drawled. She turned to see Damon Salvatore leaning against the entrance to the compartment, smirking at her.

"It's not _technically_ out of school."

He just shrugged at her before taking a seat on the bench opposite her, propping his feet up so that they rested next to her. "If you say so. Although, I guess that grindylows would fly before you got in trouble for anything, anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You never do anything fun," Damon said.

A year ago she would have taken that as an insult, but she knew what Damon meant, and honestly his opinion didn't matter much to her anyway.

"How was your summer?" She asked, neatly summoning a set of robes out of her trunk.

He shrugged. "Venice with Mom, so Dad wasn't around to be a dick. Mostly normal. You know that you need to go to the meeting in the Prefect's compartment, right?"

She nodded. "It's not like I could forget. I need to change into my robes first, though."

"Be my guest," Damon said, smirking.

"Um. In your dreams," Caroline said, unable to stop herself from smiling slightly at his over-the-top flirting.

After all, he only had eyes for Elena, and everyone knew it.

She shooed Damon out and locked the compartment door behind him to change while she wondered who the other prefect would be for Slytherin. Unlike the girls, where she was the clear choice (Slughorn would have to have gone senile to make Katherine or Hayley Marshall a prefect), it was kind of a toss-up between Klaus Mikaelson and Liam Davis.

She hoped it was Liam, because working with Klaus would seriously be hell.

Sure enough, when she entered the Prefect's carriage Liam was sitting on one of the benches looking bored out of his mind. She sat down next to him to wait for everyone else, and they made small talk about their summers.

She was not at all surprised to see that the Gryffindor Prefects were Elena Petrova and Stefan Salvatore, but Jane-Anne Deveraux for Hufflepuff honestly didn't make much sense to her. Liv and Luke Parker came in together, along with their older sister Jo, and she gave them hugs, happy that she'd have at least some prefects that she was close with.

Caroline's father, William Forbes, was the United States ambassador for the International Confederation of Wizards. Traditionally, the families of members of the ICW all went to Hogwarts. As a child, she had been very close to most, if not all, of the children of the representatives. She and the Petrova twins (Bulgaria), for example, had become fast friends.

Unfortunately, many of them drifted apart after being sorted. Elena was a perfect example of that. Though Katherine and Caroline had remained best friends, Elena had drifted away once she was sorted into Gryffindor with Stefan and Lexi.

Liv and Luke, though they'd been sorted into Ravenclaw, had remained two of her best friends. She'd often been sent to stay with them in Toronto when her mother was working (so she was basically an honorary Parker).

"How are you?" Caroline asked, after the twins had settled next to her. Jo had gone to sit with Alaric Saltzman, who she'd had an on-and-off relationship with for the last year and a half.

"By that you mean 'how was your morning,' right?" Luke asked.

Caroline shrugged. "Yeah, basically."

"It was fine," Liv said, "We were obscenely early, as usual, and Tyler cornered me to ask me to Hogsmeade _again_."

"Little early for that isn't it?" Caroline asked, half-laughing.

"That's what I said, but he said that he wanted to snatch me up early," Liv grumbled, picking at her nails.

"She hexed him," Luke said, grinning.

"Oh my god, Liv, you're going to get in so much trouble! And the year hasn't even started yet."

"He won't report me," Liv assured her, "It was only a jelly-legs. Completely reversible."

"All right, everyone, eyes up here," Elijah said over the chatter, his Head Boy badge pinned perfectly straight on his robes, "Welcome back for an exciting year," He recited in a monotone.

Jenna Sommers, who had been made Head Girl, jumped in and told them that they would assign patrol schedules by Friday, and that they would be cross-house. There were groans at the fact that the pairs were already picked, but everyone was assured that if two pairs could mutually agree to switch, it would be acceptable.

"I'd like to remind you all of the rules regarding house points and detentions. You may take up to twenty-five points per day for infractions, and you may not dock points from other prefects. When you do take points, you must submit a form to either Jenna or me detailing the reason for the infraction and how many points you took. Those forms are available in our student office."

"You can assign detentions, but you have to fill out the form for that too," Jenna continued where Elijah had left off, "And if you do assign a detention, you have to send a copy of the form to any heads of houses involved, and the detention must be approved by both of them."

"Any questions?" Elijah asked, pausing for only a moment before he dismissed them.

She and the Parker twins headed back to her compartment to meet up with Katherine, Bonnie, Kol and Rebekah.

When they entered, Caroline nearly groaned. Klaus Mikaelson had apparently decided to ditch his usual clique and sit with them for at least part of the train ride. She occupied herself by looking at the passing scenery, the train having left the station during the Prefect meeting.

"Hey everyone," Luke said cheerfully, flopping down on the seat next to Bonnie, "Excited for the new school year?"

"Only a Ravenclaw would ask that," Rebekah teased, poking him in the shoulder.

"I don't know, Bekah, I'm sure Caroline is ecstatic," Klaus said, smirking.

"I wouldn't go that far, but I'm definitely happy to be done with O.W.L.s and be able to focus on the more interesting subjects."

"Well, I'm planning on actually _enjoying _myself this year," Klaus said, "Which hopefully will involve not studying."

"Like you ever study anyway," Caroline mumbled.

Caroline was smart, and she knew that. She paid attention, did her schoolwork, and was reasonably powerful. She didn't have to study as much as most of her class because she took careful notes during the year, and she was ranked second in her class.

Klaus Mikaelson, who she had never seen crack open a textbook in his life, who never took notes, and who spent half the time in class doodling on spare bits of parchment, was ranked one.

And it absolutely enraged her.

She didn't know how he did it, and it drove her nuts. While they were nearly neck in neck in practical applications in class—it was always a toss-up for who would get the spell right first, though it was more often Klaus than her—she excelled in theory work. The only think that he was even remotely bad at was Potions.

And Caroline _loved _Potions.

There was something relaxing about it. Maybe it was because she knew that if you did everything perfectly and in the correct order, something that she was _very_ good at, it would turn out exactly the way it was supposed to. The subject catered very well to her control-freak nature.

Klaus, on the other hand, didn't have a perfectionist bone in his body for anything besides Quidditch, and therefore Potions—and to some extent Ancient Runes—didn't exactly play to his strengths.

"I don't know about that, love. Perhaps I just do it when you're not around?" He said, giving her a winning dimpled smile.

She scoffed. "I doubt it. You have way too much time on your hands for Quidditch to do that. Unless you never sleep. And don't call me love."

"Are you implying that I'm smart enough to not need to study?" He asked, smirking.

She rolled her eyes. "You have a lot of bad qualities, but stupid isn't one of them."

"Oh?" He asked, raising an eyebrow, "And what are my other bad qualities?"

"I'd rather just tell you your good qualities, as it's a much shorter list."

"Go on."

"You're smart, you can catch Quaffles, and you can draw."

"That's all, really?"

"Yes. Really."

"I'm not devastatingly handsome?"

She scoffed. "Pretty sure half the guys here are much better-looking."

_Lie_.

"Like who?" He asked, suddenly looking offended.

She gave him an innocent grin. "I don't know, Enzo's pretty attractive."

Klaus bristled at the mention of her boyfriends name. He and Enzo had a long-time rivalry for reasons that she'd never bothered to find out. Enzo was a year older than them and the Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team. It seemed that Enzo had taken an immediate dislike to Klaus, and the feeling had quickly become mutual.

"What was that, gorgeous?" Enzo asked, poking his head into the compartment.

"Oh, I was just telling Klaus how much more attractive you are than he is," She said, scooting over so that Enzo could take a seat.

He slung an arm around her shoulders and kissed her, and when he pulled back she gave him a bright smile. She heard an incredibly unsubtle cough from Rebekah's direction, and shot a smug look at her friend.

"You weren't at the meeting."

"I barely made it to the platform in time. I only started packing this morning," Enzo said, shrugging.

"Seriously?"

"Where's Damon? Shouldn't he be bothering us with you?" Katherine interrupted.

"Stalking the good twin in the other compartment," He said, winking at Katherine, who snorted.

"Does that make me the evil twin?"

"I don't know, Katerina, does it?" Klaus asked, smirking.

Katherine wrinkled her nose. Once she had come to Hogwarts she'd changed her name, mostly because all the students couldn't pronounce it correctly—how hard is it to roll an 'r'?—but Klaus and Elijah, his older brother, insisted on using her given name no matter how many times she told them to stop.

"Katherine," She corrected for what must have been the millionth time, "And I am perfectly willing to identify as the evil twin if it means that no one will confuse me with _her_."

Katherine was not fond of her sister at all, which was part of the reason that Caroline and Elena had drifted apart. Though Katherine had never completely explained it, Caroline had inferred that the animosity had something to do with the fact that Katherine had liked Stefan for as long as they could all remember (except Stefan, who was still somehow completely oblivious), but he had chosen Elena.

Elena, who knew perfectly well of her sister's crush, and who apparently didn't care.

"Suit yourself," Enzo said, shrugging.

"How was your summer, Enzo?" Bonnie asked.

He shrugged. "It was all right. I missed my girl here, of course," He said, briefly squeezing Caroline's shoulder, "But mostly uneventful."

"Either which way, I believe that I am needed elsewhere," Klaus said abruptly, sticking his mobile floo back into his pocket and walking out without another word to any of them.

Liv frowned after him. "That was weird."

"He probably got a floo message from Marcel, or something," Rebekah said, shrugging.

Mobile floos were a relatively new invention, similar to muggle mobile phones. They looked like a muggle cigarette lighter, but vibrated or chimed when you had a message or a call. The flame on top was used for voice calls, but there was a small tube on the bottom where you could insert bits of parchment, which would be sent to the mobile floo of another person, sort-of like muggle texting.

The group chatted for awhile, pausing when Enzo kissed Caroline on the cheek and excused himself to sit with Damon and the rest of his friends. When the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station, they all clambered out, walking the short distance to the carriages.

They all filed in to sit at their house tables, Caroline sandwiched in between Katherine and Rebekah and across from Enzo, Damon, and Kai. They chatted among themselves until Professor Flitwick entered with the line of first years behind him.

The sorting only took about ten minutes, but that didn't stop Klaus and Marcel from writing notes to each other a bench or two over. Caroline shot them a glare, flicking her eyes down to their floos, and Klaus just gave her what he must have thought was an innocent smile.

After the sorting was complete, Professor McGonagall stood up, and the entire room went completely silent within seconds.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. I hope that you all have had a restful summer, and that you are ready to begin the academic year. I do have a few start of term notices, but those will be announced after the feast."

She sat back down again, and the tables immediately were weighed down with food. Caroline helped herself to some Sheppard's pie and vegetables before Katherine spoke.

"Ten sickles Marcel and Klaus get their mobiles confiscated by tomorrow."

Caroline laughed. "You're on."

"Now, now, Blondie…Gambling on school grounds?"

"Oh, shut up Damon," Caroline said, playfully throwing an asparagus spear at his head, which he caught and stuck into his mouth.

"Well, it _is _against the rules, Gorgeous."

"What are you going to do, Enzo? Give me a detention?" She teased.

"Prefects can't give other Prefects detention, you know that," He said, a wicked smirk on his face, "I'm sure we could come up with something else."

"Okay. No. Way too much information," Rebekah said, covering her ears.

Enzo grinned unrepentantly and took a bite out of his bread roll.

After the feast was over, Professor McGonagall stood up again to make her announcements.

"I have a few start of term notices. The Forbidden Forest is not to be explored by anyone without a teacher present. Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that there is an extensive list of banned items, and if you wish to consult the list it may be found attached to his door. There is to be no magic used in the corridors in-between classes. Quidditch trials will be held at some point within the next week. If you wish to participate, you may consult the captain of your house team. You are dismissed."

There was a general rustle of benches scraping against the stone floor, and the students poured out of the great hall towards their respective common rooms.

"Aconite," Caroline said to the hidden entrance of the common room, walking with Katherine to their dorm room when the wall slid aside.

When they arrived, Caroline and Katherine took showers and changed into their pajamas immediately. When they came out, they found their other dorm mate sitting on her bed, painting her fingernails.

"Hayley," Caroline greeted coolly.

"Caroline, Katherine," Hayley said, nodding to them before returning to her manicure.

"How was your summer?" Caroline asked, more in an attempt to be civil than because she actually cared.

Hayley shrugged. "It was fine. Nothing all that interesting happened."

"I'm going to bed," Katherine announced, and Caroline nodded along with her friend.

"Good night, Hayley."

"Yep."

XXX

"Miss Forbes, have you decided on your classes?" Professor Slughorn asked, holding a blank schedule in his hands.

The sixth year was the first time Hogwarts students got to choose the subjects they wanted to study and for Caroline it had been a tough decision.

"Yes Professor," She replied, "I've decided on Potions, Transfiguration, Arithmancy, Charms, and Ancient Runes for my cores, and Spell Creation, Enchanting, and Warding for my electives."

Slughorn frowned. "You can't have more than four core classes, Miss Forbes, surely you're aware."

"Yes, but I really want to take Enchanting, and I can't have that without taking Charms."

After OWLs, all rising sixth years chose four subjects as their "core" classes. In addition to these they were required to choose three complimentary elective classes.

"Don't you think you're overworking yourself just a tad?" Slughorn asked, before laughing his booming belly laugh at the look on her face, "Of course, Miss Forbes, I should have known that you'd insist on taking on more than the normal course load."

Caroline shrugged, slightly embarrassed now.

"Well, I don't see a problem with it as long as you keep up with your schoolwork. I'll speak with Professor Tonks, shall I? If you feel like it's too much, you must drop either Potions or Transfiguration. And I feel I should inform you that I would not be disappointed in you if you drop my class. You have easily enough of a foundation for the subject that you could independently study after you graduate and take the NEWT post-graduate test."

"Thank you professor, but I'd rather take my chances."

"Of course, of course. Though I'm sure that you are aware, I must inform you that the Arithmancy elective does come with an extra section in which you learn the Latin spell roots?"

Caroline nodded. "Yep, I know."

"Good, good. Well, here you are m'dear," He said, smiling widely and tapping the blank schedule so that it filled up, "And I do hope that you'll be able to at least spare some time in your schedule for the dinner this Saturday?"

Caroline beamed. "I'm sure I can make it. Thanks Professor."

"Of course, Miss Forbes. I'll see you in less than an hour for Potions, yes?"

She nodded absently, already inspecting her schedule. It was Tuesday, which meant that, as Slughorn had said, she had double potions first period. After break, she had Ancient Runes, and then she had two free periods before her first Latin Lab. She suspected that the classes for the rest of the week would be more about what they'd do that year than anything else.

"What are you taking?" Caroline asked Katherine, who was reading her own schedule.

"Potions, Defense, Transfiguration, Charms, O&amp;L, Transfiguration in Combat, and Alchemy."

Caroline screwed up her face. "Eww…O&amp;L? Really, Kat?"

"Occlumency and Legilimency are mandatory for Unspeakables, you know that," Katherine said, looking slightly irritated at Caroline's judgment of her subject choices, "Just because you can't keep a straight face to save your life doesn't mean we all have to walk around with our innermost thoughts pasted on."

"Whatever. At least we'll have Potions, Transfiguration, and Charms together."

"Yeah, about Potions…"

Caroline rolled her eyes and gave a (mostly) fake long-suffering sigh. "Yes, Kat, of course I'll be your partner and do the majority of the work for you this year."

"Thank you so much, best friend!" Katherine said brightly, making Caroline scoff.

"Is that why I'm your best friend, Kat?"

Katherine laughed and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Well, that and it'll be really helpful to have the Head Girl on my side in seventh year when I start hexing my sister for no reason."

Caroline snorted. "Pretty sure Elena is the reason hexes were invented. No offense."

"I couldn't have said it better myself."

XXX

"Welcome to NEWT level Spell Creation," Professor Vector announced cheerily once everyone had taken their seats, "Today would normally be the lab period where we'd go over common Latin roots, but today I'd like to hand out the syllabus and discuss the term long project."

There was some scattered muttering, and Professor Vector handed out the syllabus and continued on as though she hadn't noticed. "As you can see, I have clearly outlined what you need to accomplish in order to get an Outstanding in this course. Now that you're in sixth year, your studies will become significantly more difficult, but I still expect all of you to do your best."

Caroline looked down at the syllabus. As was typical of Professor Vector, there were clear expectations with percentage weights. It looked like they would have an essay due every two weeks, a term-long project, and two tests, which was fine with her. She tuned back into what Vector was saying.

"—Term-long project is due on the last day of class. It will be done in partners, whom I have already assigned based on class ranks on your OWL test. It will be much easier on all of you that way, because you will have similar experience levels."

Most of the class groaned at the news that it was a group project, and Caroline resisted the urge to bury her face in her arms. Klaus was ranked first in the class and she was ranked a close second. She shot him a sideways look and saw that he was doing the same, a similar expression of annoyance on his face, though it probably had more to do with the fact that he was forced into interacting with anyone at all rather than that it was her.

He was _not _a people person.

"You will have a choice between developing a new simple spell or modifying an existing simple spell. It does not matter how useful the spell is or what the spell does, I just want to see that you are capable of applying the material practically. You'll find more information in the syllabus. Any questions?"

XXX

"Forbes!"

Caroline turned around to see Klaus jogging to catch up to her.

"What, _Mikaelson_?" She asked, mocking his use of her last name.

"When would you like to meet to get started?"

"Just so we're clear, I'd rather jump out of a window than work with you on this project," She said, pasting the fakest smile on her face possible.

"I won't stop you," He said, gesturing towards the nearby window.

They were six floors up.

She narrowed her eyes. "I wasn't being serious."

"I was."

"Wow. Rude!"

"I was just trying to help, love."

She rolled her eyes and decided to redirect the conversation back to the task at hand. "What's your schedule like?"

He pulled it out and gave it to her and she gave it a quick once-over. "Well, we have the exact same Monday schedule. And we both have Thursday afternoon off as well."

"Monday at 10:30 in the library?" He suggested when she handed his schedule back to him.

"Sure."

"Come with ideas. I don't want to spend an hour and a half sitting there brainstorming," He ordered.

She shot him a fake smile. "I was about to tell you the same thing."

"Touchy," He mumbled, readjusting his schoolbag on his shoulder.

They walked towards the great hall together before they were ambushed by Enzo. "Mikaelson," He said, nodding at Klaus.

Klaus half heartedly nodded back before walking past them towards the great hall.

Enzo pulled her into a hug. "He's cheerful, that one. Hello, gorgeous."

"Hi," She said, kissing him quickly.

He let go and grabbed her hand. "Dinner?"

"Yep."

They walked hand-in-hand towards the great hall, Caroline telling him about her day.

"And we have this giant project for Vector, and I got paired with Klaus. It's awful."

"I'm sorry," Enzo said, squeezing her hand, "Is there anything that I can help with?"

Caroline shook her head. "Probably not. It's just a project, no big deal. Between the two of us we shouldn't even have to meet all that often."

Enzo nodded along with her. "Well, if it makes you feel any better at all Flitwick is an easy grader in Enchanting, so you shouldn't have too much trouble."

"Are you implying that I would have trouble in Enchanting if Flitwick wasn't an easy grader?" Caroline asked, glaring at her boyfriend, half-playful and half-serious.

Enzo seemed to realize his mistake before she'd finished her sentence and grabbed her hand. "Of course not, gorgeous. You can do anything you set your mind to, you know that without me telling you."

She nodded, mentally giving him props on the good save, and sat down next to him once they arrived at the great hall. "What do you have tomorrow?" She asked him, spearing a potato on her fork and taking a bite.

"I'm free until lunchtime. You?"

"I have a free period in the morning."

"Excellent. You should sleep in, we'll still have about an hour until class."

She shot him a suspicious look, but nodded warily. "All right. You excited for Quidditch trials?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, definitely. I'm captain this year since Maxfield left, so we need a new seeker."

"Got your eye on anyone in particular?"

He shook his head. "Not really. I've heard that Rebekah is interested, but I doubt she'll try for it. Her brother seems to have his heart set on preventing her from doing anything she genuinely enjoys."

"Enzo…"

"What? It's true. You know, Gorgeous, you've got the perfect build for a seeker, and you're not a half-bad flyer."

Caroline snorted. No, she wasn't a bad flier, but she also had no interest in being stuck on a team with Hayley Marshall while having to deal with Enzo and Klaus having their testosterone-fueled pissy fits. "I don't think so."

He sighed, seeming to be genuinely disappointed by her answer. "Well, perhaps Rebekah won't be half bad. We'll see how it goes. And obviously we have to try out everyone already on the team, just in case."

"Makes sense," Caroline said, nodding.

Enzo shoveled the rest of his spinach salad into his mouth at lightning speed before picking up his bag. "All right, gorgeous, I've got to run. I promised Maggie we'd go flying tonight."

Caroline smiled at his thoughtfulness. His half-sister Maggie was a year younger than her and had been sorted into Gryffindor, and Enzo had always been determined to stay close to her.

"Have fun," She said, smiling as he dropped a kiss on her cheek and walked off.

XXX

She woke up to a brisk tapping sound on the door and groaned, rubbing her eyes with her palms. She grabbed her wand clumsily.

"Tempus."

Who was bothering her at eight forty-five? She walked over and pulled open the door, prepared to scold whoever it was within an inch of their life, but it was Enzo carrying a tray piled with food.

"Seriously?" She asked, smiling, "How did you get up here? And breakfast in bed? What's the occasion?"

"In order," He said, setting the tray on her bedside table and ticking the list off on his fingers, "Yes, seriously. I did an identity masking spell, and the stairs only activate if you're a bloke, not if you're not a girl. Yes, breakfast in bed, and I even brought pancakes. The occasion is you getting prefect."

"You knew it would happen, though," She protested, though smiling widely.

He nodded, picking a pancake off the stack for himself and pouring a good amount of syrup on it.

"We all did, but that doesn't mean it's not something to celebrate. Budge over," He said, perching himself on her bed and dipping a strip of bacon in his syrup.

"Still though," She said, "This was so thoughtful."

"I know," He said, shrugging, "What can I say, Gorgeous? I'm the best."

She rolled her eyes and whacked him on the shoulder.

Caroline got a pancake and some sausage off the tray and settled into her bed across from Enzo to eat.

"This is really good," She said, "How did you get it all the way here from the kitchens without anyone noticing?"

He gave her a genuine smile, one that he didn't often use, and it made her insides warm. "I actually didn't use the kitchens. The reason I was late to the train yesterday was because I spent the time trying to convince Tippy to pop up this morning with your breakfast."

She took a bite of sausage and closed her eyes. She had no idea how Enzo's family elf managed to get the spicy marmalade just right every time, but she wasn't complaining.

"What if we hadn't had class off?" She asked after swallowing.

He shrugged, "I would have floo called home and told Tippy when you do have it off."

She nodded thoughtfully, taking the last bite of her pancake, before setting the plate on the tray on top of Enzo's empty one.

"You have something on your face," Enzo said, smirking.

"Do I?" She played along.

He nodded, his face arranged in a completely serious look. "Here, let me get it for you."

She giggled as she dodged his finger, which was sticky with syrup. "No, your hands are sticky."

"I suppose that I should wash them then," He said, not moving an inch.

She rolled her eyes. "Not necessary," She said, grabbing his hand in hers and bringing it to her mouth, swirling her tongue along his finger. His eyes darkened as he watched, and when she let his hand go his lips were immediately on hers.

Enzo was the sweetest boyfriend she could ever ask for. He was considerate, kind, carried her books, was generally compassionate, an _excellent _kisser…

But when he nibbled her bottom lip and she sighed, she couldn't help but feel like there was something missing, some kind of spark that was supposed to appear and blow her mind.

It would happen eventually, she was sure.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading :D So, how are we feeling about this? Do you guys like it? Should I continue? Does anything need to be clearer?  
Let me know in a review! It's the only way I'll know what you think and get better ;)  
Hugs!  
-Angie**


	2. A Lack of Tact

**A/N: Hey everyone! I want to answer a few questions that were asked by Guests, so there is some info at the bottom if you're confused/interested.**

**Keep in mind that this is written strictly from Caroline's POV, and because of this we see her opinion and her truth. She is not always right, even though she might think she is. She's human.  
Thank you so much to justanotherfiveminutes for beta work :D**

**Enjoy!  
-Angie**

* * *

"We could narrow the _Tarantallegra _hex to narrow it to a specific type of dance."

"Boring," Klaus said, absently doodling on parchment.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "Okay, idea number eight, we could change the knitting charm to a crochet charm."

"Even more boring."

"Okay, well do _you _have any ideas?"

He shrugged. "Not really. I told you to come up with them."

"Well, clearly that's going really well right now, since you're shooting all of them down."

"Perhaps you should come up with better ideas then," he said disinterestedly.

She glared at him. "We could invent a hex to cause the victim to think that they're speaking normally, but instead they repeat the phrase, 'I'm sorry I was so rude to you, Caroline, I don't deserve to breathe the same air as you,'" she said, her voice sickly sweet. "In fact, I might just do that as an independent project."

He frowned. "That might work. With a different phrase, obviously. That one's too long."

She was surprised that he was actually considering it. "Like what?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. It's your idea, you think of one."

"Seriously?"

He smirked. "That could work, actually."

Okay, not what she meant, but whatever. She rolled her eyes and pulled their project proposal form over so that they could write it.

There was an awkward silence as her quill scratched over the parchment, and Caroline had never been one to deal with awkward silence all that well. "Are you nervous for Quidditch trials?"

Klaus snorted and she glanced up at him to see a tiny smirk on his face. "Why would I be nervous, love? I'm the best keeper Slytherin has had in years."

"Ego," She mumbled quietly.

He shrugged. "Are you thinking of going out for the team this year? You're not terrible, you know."

"Well, as thankful as I am for that ringing endorsement, no. You and Enzo are free to stop asking anytime."

"What, your boyfriend wants you on the team as well?" Klaus asked, "I would have assumed that he'd rather you were in the stands so that your focus would be solely on him."

"I think you might be mixing him up with yourself. And either way, both of you just want me on the team so that Rebekah won't try out."

He laughed and shook his head. "No, actually. I would be perfectly happy to have Rebekah on the team. However, I'm also invested in Slytherin winning, and though I'd never tell her this to her face, you are a _much _better flyer."

"Oh, really?" Caroline asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

He shrugged. "Believe what you want, but you'd be good if you gave yourself a chance. Although, actually, I would think you'd make a better chaser, if anything."

Caroline narrowed her eyes at him, but decided to change the subject.

"What else are you taking this term?"

"Why are you so interested?" he shot back.

"I'm trying to be friendly," she said, "I guess I won't bother with it next time."

"Transfiguration, Arithmancy, Defense, and Runes, with supplements for the first three."

Caroline nodded slowly. "I didn't think you liked Runes."

"I don't. But I like Potions less. I could have taken Charms, I suppose, but Charms is nearly all practical work, and we're in school to_ learn_ things, rather than to do things that we could on our own," he said, clearly referencing the fact that she was taking Potions.

She would really like nothing better at the moment then to punch him.

In the face.

Hexes were too good for him.

**XXX**

Caroline looked up from her work when she heard voices being raised across the common room. Rebekah and Klaus were only a few feet apart, and Rebekah seemed to be slowly reaching for her wand as Klaus continued to talk.

"You're fifteen! Father's rule is sixteen for all of us, which you're aware of. And Kai's an absolute prick," Klaus was saying.

"I didn't tell Mum and Dad when you were dating that bitch last year," Rebekah pointed out, and Caroline winced as Klaus stiffened.

_Ouch, _Bekah. Bring up the girl that broke up with Klaus rather publically in the Great Hall right before Valentine's Day, why don't you?

It was lucky that Tatia wasn't in the common room, she would have taken points for that.

"Yes, and look how that relationship turned out," Klaus said coldly.

"Just because _your_ first relationship failed spectacularly doesn't mean that the one between Kai and me will."

Caroline scanned the common room for Kai, wondering why he hadn't at least stepped in to defend Rebekah, and realized that he wasn't there.

"In any case, I'll write to them if this continues."

Rebekah's lips pressed together, and she drew her wand. "_Mucus Ad Nauseum."_

Klaus pulled out his wand and waved it lazily, constructing a shield non-verbally, before sending a small get of indigo light at Rebekah, causing her fingers to twitch uncontrollably, making her drop her wand.

"Klaus!"

He picked up Rebekah's wand and turned to face Caroline, who walked over to them. "Seriously? Five points from Slytherin."

"What? She started it," he said, glaring at her.

She rolled her eyes, walking over to Rebekah to inspect her fingers, which were still twitching uncontrollably. "Yes, and you finished it."

"So you're not taking points from both of us?"

"Are you really asking me to take more points from Slytherin?"

"Well, seeing as I'll just make them back for us in Quidditch, yes."

"Shut _up_, Nik," Rebekah growled at her brother, shaking her hand out after Caroline reversed the hex.

"Either way, you and Kai are not to–"

"Klaus, you can't control your sister's actions," Caroline said quietly. "Let them be."

"This is none of your business."  
"When you threw a spell at her in the common room, you made it my business, now give Rebekah back her wand, please."

"No."

She narrowed her eyes at him, and he pocketed Rebekah's wand, as though to make a point.

"Klaus. Give it back."

"No. If my sister's going to be stupid enough to throw a spell at me, I'm going to take her wand away," he turned back to Rebekah, a smirk growing on his face. "And I'm writing to Mother and Father tomorrow morning."

"That's not _fair, _Nik."

"You have forced my hand," he said, shrugging.

"Klaus, you're being a total hypocrite right now."

"Again, none of your business, love."

"Rebekah's my friend, and you're being a dick to her. Of course it's my business."

"No, it's family business."

Caroline huffed. "Look, you need to stop being so bitter about Tatia and let Rebekah live her own life. You're being incredibly selfish and trying to make her just as miserable as you are, and it's not fair to her."

His face closed off, and his eyes went cold. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Maybe I don't, but I do know that micromanaging your sister's life because you're hurt is a dick move. You know that the reason Tatia left you was _because _you were too controlling, so stop doing it with everyone else. You're doing yourself no favors."

Yeah, she went there. She probably shouldn't have, judging by the look of absolute fury on his face, but she did.

He pulled out his wand again, and she only just managed to get a shield up before his spell crashed into it.

He was throwing them in sequence now, though, and she concentrated on keeping a shield up to ward off his attacks. It eventually broke though, and he hit her with a silencing charm.

She stopped moving, glaring at him. "You might learn to keep your mouth shut now," he said darkly, before turning around to head up to the dorms.

_Locomotor Mortis, _she cast, thankful that she'd spent time practicing non-verbal spells for extra credit on her OWLs.

Klaus's legs sprang together, causing him to throw his arm out on the armchair near him for balance.

_Expelliarmus. _

Both wands Klaus was holding sailed towards her, and she caught them.

"The hawthorne one is mine," Rebekah said, reaching for hers. "_Finite_," she cast, waving it at Caroline, who immediately thanked her for removing the silencing spell.

Klaus was still glaring at her, and Caroline turned to him. "Stop being an ass," she said to him, thrusting his wand into his hand.

He snatched his hand away from her, waved his wand to undo her jinx, and stomped up the stairs. "He's never done well with honesty," Rebekah mumbled.

Caroline sighed. "I think I went too far. With the Tatia thing, I mean."

Rebekah snorted. "You did, but he deserved it."

"So, tell me about Kai. When did this happen?"

"After dinner today," Rebekah said happily. "He asked me to Hogsmeade."

"We don't even know when the next weekend is."

Rebekah smiled brightly. "I know. He said he wanted to ask before someone else did."

Caroline nodded, giving Rebekah a smile, but inwardly a little bit torn. Klaus hadn't been all wrong, Kai wasn't exactly nice. But it was Rebekah's life, and she should be able to do whatever she wanted.

**XXX**

Caroline yawned, brushing her hair out of her face and settling down at the breakfast table next to Enzo. It was Saturday, the day that Enzo had booked for the Quidditch try-outs, and the first Slug Club party. She had decided not to try out, but was coming down to the pitch for moral support (mostly for Rebekah, who had made up her mind to try out).

"Good morning, gorgeous."

"Morning," Caroline mumbled, reaching over Enzo to scrape some eggs onto her plate.

"How did you sleep?"

She shrugged.

"Are you coming with me to the pitch?"

"Of course. Someone has to give Rebekah moral support."

"Is there anyone else trying out?"

"Greta."

He nodded, more to himself than anything else.

"You're coming to the party with me tonight, right?"

"Of course," Enzo said, though he looked like he wasn't at all looking forward to it.

"I'm sorry, I know you hate them."

He nodded, not answering, and she rolled her eyes, smiling slightly.

She heard her name and looked up to see Liv dropping down on the other side of the table, her blue tie looking out of place among the green.

"Morning, Care."

"Hey."

"Pardon my reach," Liv said sleepily as she reached past Enzo to take eggs for herself.

"Of course."

"So, question."

"Answer," Caroline said promptly, grinning at her friend.

"Why is Klaus looking at you like you stole all of his candy?"

Caroline glanced at Klaus, who was apparently committed to glaring at her from across the table. Caroline shrugged. "I was kind of rude to him last night."

"What did you say?"

"Kai asked Rebekah out, and Klaus flipped out, so I told him that he couldn't control other people's lives, and that he should have learned something from that whole Tatia thing."

Liv winced. "Ouch."

"He deserved it."

Liv made a sound of agreement, stabbing her eggs with her fork.

"Ready to go, gorgeous?" Enzo asked, his plate clear.

"Um...Can I just meet you down there? I want to talk to Liv for a bit."

"All right. I'll see you at the pitch."

"See you," she said, dropping a kiss on his cheek with a grin.

He nodded and slung his bag over his shoulder. For the next fifteen minutes, Klaus, Damon, and Hayley trickled out one by one as they finished their meals, and Caroline realized that she must have missed Rebekah and Katherine already.

"I have to go," she said to Liv.

"Yeah, see you later."

Caroline walked to the pitch, finding a seat in the stands to watch. Rebekah flew well, much better than Greta, and was pronounced the new Seeker. Kai managed to retain his Beater spot even though Marcel had flown very well.

Klaus was unopposed for Keeper, though he did help with the chaser try-outs, and when they were completely done, Caroline walked down to give Rebekah a hug and a congratulations.

When she pulled away, Klaus appeared and pulled Rebekah in for a hug, complimenting her on her flying, before turning to walk past Caroline, his eyes sliding over her as though she wasn't there, smacking her with this shoulder as he walked by.

"Ouch! What the fuck, Klaus?"

He didn't even stop walking or acknowledge that she'd spoken. She followed him all the way up to the castle, getting progressively angrier at him not responding to her, and huffed angrily when it became clear that he was completely ignoring her.

What a drama queen.

**XXX**

Caroline smoothed her robes one more time before grasping Enzo's hand and stepping through the door to the room filled with people. Enzo got them drinks, and they stood around making small talk for a few moments before Slughorn came over.

"Miss Forbes! So good to see you. I have some people I'd like you to meet. Hello, Mister Augustine."

"Good evening, Professor," Enzo said politely, before kissing Caroline on the cheek and excusing himself.

"You were interested in curse-breaking for Gringotts, were you not?" Slughorn asked, laying a hand on her arm and steering her towards the other side of the room.

"Yeah. I was definitely thinking about it."

"Well then, I have someone you should meet to answer all your questions. Ah, here he is. Miss Forbes, meet Bill Weasley. He's worked for Gringotts for what must be about twenty years now. Bill, Miss Forbes is an excellent student and interested in curse-breaking. She's also the daughter of Bill Forbes. You know, from the ICW?"

A tall man with red hair and a small fanged earring stuck out his hand. He had a large scar on his face, which she did her best not to look at as she shook his hand. Caroline winced slightly at the name dropping of her father, and then restrained a smile at the sympathetic look Bill shot her.

"Just about twenty, yeah. And call me Bill It's nice to meet you Miss Forbes."

"Caroline, please. And it's nice to meet you."

The Weasleys had been involved in the Order of the Phoenix during the war, she knew, and she was almost positive that he had a daughter that had started Hogwarts that year, but she didn't ask.

"Do you like working at Gringotts?"

He smiled slightly. "Yes. It's exciting. Every day is different, and you have to be quick on your feet, something that I've heard you are."

"Well, I don't know about that."

"Nonsense," Slughorn said, clapping her on the shoulder. "Miss Forbes is one of my best students. She's one of the best at potions I've seen in a long time."

"Potions?" Bill asked, looking slightly confused. "If you like potions, a curse-breaker is a little bit too practical."

She smiled slightly. "I do like potions, but I also enjoy practical work. Potions can be useful, too, though. Like, you can brew potions to make yourself immune to simple curses, or to aid you in breaking curses if you drink them."

Bill looked mildly impressed. "So you're looking to link the two fields."

"Yeah, basically."

He smiled. "That's an interesting idea. If that's your goal, I hope to see you interviewing at Gringotts come graduation, then."

She smiled. "Thanks."

He nodded politely. "Of course. It was nice talking to you, Caroline."

"You, too."

She excused herself from their presence to find Enzo, and saw him in conversation with Damon on the side of the room. "Hey, Gorgeous."

"Hey."

"How did it go?"

Caroline smiled. "Really well, I think."

"Good."

He squeezed her hand and noticed that her drink was empty. "Do you want another one?"

"Yeah. Not the alcoholic one, though."

He smirked. "Caroline, do you really think I'd try to get you drunk?"

She sent him an unimpressed look, and he smiled slightly. "I know, Gorgeous. I'll be right back."

Before he could leave, someone cleared their throat next to them, and all three of them turned to see a blonde woman that looked like she was in her mid-twenties. She stuck out her hand. "Hi, you're Lorenzo Augustine and Damon Salvatore, right?"

Enzo nodded. "Yes, and this is my girlfriend Caroline."

The other woman smiled, giving Caroline a polite nod before turning to the boys. "I'm Samantha Bradley, Chaser for–"

"The Tornadoes! I know who you are. You're second in assists in the league," Damon said excitedly.

She smiled. "Yep. I've been tasked by my coach to see if I can interest you in a tryout before the Kestrels get their claws on you," she said, winking. "We're going to be down a Chaser next year, and we'll need a new reserve."

Damon looked like Elena had just confessed her undying love to him.

"That's...Wow."

"You're talented. We've been scouting you since last year. And you," she continued, turning to Enzo, "Are a more than decent Beater. We're not recruiting Beaters next year, and, not that I'm advocating you joining another team, because you'd be competition in a few years, but I've heard that the Bats are going to be down one a reserve in a few years. Sloper's retiring."

Enzo grinned. "Thank you for the compliment."

"You deserve it."

Damon was still completely silent. Samantha turned back to him, smiling when she realized that he was still speechless. "Maybe you can come to the league student retreat over winter holiday? I'll send you a brochure."

"Yeah. Yeah, that would be...That would be great," Damon said.

Samantha excused herself and Caroline turned to Enzo, giving him a hug. "Oh my gosh, Enzo! This is great!"

He smiled slightly. "Yeah. It is."

"You don't seem happy," Caroline said, frowning.

He shrugged. "A few years is a long time. That was a nice way of saying that I'm good, but I'm not _that _good."

Caroline winced. "I'm sure that's not what she meant."

He shrugged, turning slightly and stopping to look at something, frowning. Caroline turned, following his line of vision, and saw Oliver Wood deep in conversation with Klaus a few yards away, an excited smile on his face.

She resisted the urge to wince again. Enzo supported Puddlemere (he'd been a fan since he was very young), and Oliver Wood was one of the best players in the team's history, and it was clear that he was trying to recruit Klaus. Caroline listened hard to hear the conversation.

"You're good, Mikaelson. Better than good. We'd love to have you come try out when you graduate, I'm sure you'd make first-string reserve, if not a starting Keeper. I'm this close to retiring, you know, and I know talent when I see it."

Caroline turned to Enzo, seeing him look genuinely disappointed. She put a hand on his arm. "Let's go get a drink, and maybe some of those stuffed mushrooms. I'm hungry."

He turned to her, smiling slightly, and looped an arm around her waist.

**XXX**

Klaus hadn't spoken to her for the entire week since the confrontation in the common room on Friday. Frankly, she wasn't all that heartbroken over it. He was infuriating, and she was grateful for the peace and quiet. Of course, this also meant that she'd had some trouble getting him to agree to a time to meet for their project. He'd only capitulated after a furious Rebekah shouted at him that she was not an owl and could he please speak to Caroline about the project, as she was sitting about three feet away from him.

This resulted in them meeting after the break on Monday (Transfiguration having been spent with them studiously ignoring each other), and Caroline had about had enough of his immaturity.

"I don't have time to take notes. I can do most of the practical part of the project if you do the research," he said coldly.

_He had to be kidding._

"No, that's bullshit. I did the project proposal, made a schedule, and found books for research. I'm not taking the notes, too, especially since I'm just as capable with the practical work as you are."

"But theory _is_ what you excel at, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but I'm not doing the whole project for you."

"You're not doing it for me, you're just doing the research, and I'll get it done after that. I just have Quidditch practice, and you know I know what I'm doing. I could have done it if I had time."

"No. Actually, I don't. And, as I'm sure you're aware, I have even less time than you. I'm a prefect, head of the Yearbook committee, and helping Slughorn plan the Slug Club gatherings. All you do is practice catching a ball three times a week."

"_Catching a ball three times a week_ is much more demanding than planning parties and arranging scrapbooks."

"Excuse me?"

He just gave her a cool look.

"And anyway, even if I _did _have the time, you're top of the class, but that doesn't mean I can trust you to do your work. How do I know that you won't screw me over?"

"I won't. Just do your part and I'll do mine."

She shot him an angry glare. What an ass.

"Look, you might be able to boss everyone else in this school around, but not me. I'm not going to let you act like I'm your minion, okay? You need to stop being a lazy, conceited jerk, be a decent human being for once in your life and do your part of the project."

He shot her a nasty look. "I am not lazy."

She resisted the urge to laugh at how he didn't even attempt to deny that he was a conceited jerk.

"You clearly are, or we wouldn't be having this conversation. Now, I'm going to go, because I have a meeting during lunch to _arrange scrapbooks_, and when you decide to stop being a useless dickweed, you can finish the notes and then come find me," She got up and swirled around, her robes flying behind her as she stalked out of the library.

**XXX**

"Can anyone define Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration?" Professor Tonks said from the front of the room, a piece of enchanted chalk floating against the blackboard behind her.

It was Monday morning, and she was in the first class of the week-Transfiguration-and she was taking great pleasure in the fact that Klaus Mikaelson still seemed to be fuming in absolute rage from her comments earlier that weekend.

Caroline was about to put her hand up to answer the question when the room went completely silent. Caroline saw Professor Tonks's eyes widen as she waved a hand at a student in the back of the class, and Caroline swiveled around to see what everyone else was so surprised about.

Klaus was raising his hand.

"Mr. Mikaelson?" Professor Tonks said, sounding ecstatic that Klaus had decided to participate (Caroline could probably count the times he talked in class in all seven years on one hand).

"Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration simply states that one can conjure any item based in nature. The reason it's called the law of _elemental _Transfiguration is because the term 'conjure' is a slight misnomer. The act of conjuration is simply transfiguring the element of air into an item."

The class was utterly silent for a few moments while they all processed that Klaus had summarized an entire chapter of their textbook into three sentences, before Professor Tonks smiled. "Ten points to Slytherin."

Klaus smirked.

"Now, can anyone tell me any of the five exceptions to Gamp's Law?"

Klaus's hand shot up again.

This went on for the rest of the Transfiguration lesson, and then for Arithmancy that afternoon. In fact, for the entire week, Klaus raised his hand and answered every single question he was called on for with perfectly clear textbook answers, though he sometimes added small bits of extra information.

He apparently was not fond of her calling him lazy.

After the first week, the novelty of Klaus actually participating wore off, and Caroline managed to retaliate in her own special way.

She was not one to be outdone.

"We're going to start on conjuring birds this week, but we'll be going one step at a time. Before we start on the practical aspects, let's discuss the theory. Does anyone know the incantation to conjure a bird? Yes, Miss Forbes?"

"Avis."

"Good, can anyone show me the wand movement? Mr. Mikaelson. Yes, good, five points. Can anyone tell me the incantation for spell to conjure a feather? Yes, Mr. Mikaelson?"

"Unus Pluma."

"Excellent. Five points. Can anyone show me the wand movement? Yes, Miss Forbes."

Caroline demonstrated the movement, earning herself five points.

"What's the fundamental difference between conjuring birds and conjuring a feather? Yes, Mr. Mikaelson."

"Conjuring birds requires more focus, because you are conjuring something that's alive and are therefore semi-sentient, whereas feathers are inanimate objects."

"Excellent. Ten points. And how, besides the wand movement and incantation, does one shift from conjuring an inanimate object to a living entity? No, you two, let's allow someone else to have a go…"

**XXX**

Caroline sank down at the table in the library where she and Klaus met on Mondays, brushing a stack of parchment someone had left there to the side, and opened her bag to get her Arithmancy book while she waited for him to show.

After twenty minutes she was getting increasingly impatient, and after a half hour, she gathered up her things, ready to track him down and hex him into the next week.

The stack of parchment she'd brushed aside earlier caught her eye when she realized that it had a bit of parchment with her name on it clipped to it.

They were the notes from the books she'd given Klaus, and she read through them. Granted, they were slightly half-assed and were clearly not tailored to be easy to read, she appreciated that he'd left them.

What she did _not _appreciate was that he made her wait around for half an hour, just assuming that she'd find them.

She stuffed the notes into her bag, huffing irritably at his lack of communication (and the fact that he was still ignoring her, because _really_?).

She sighed, gathering up her things and heading to the common room. Katherine had the period off as well, and she might as well see if she's there.

When she came in, she saw Katherine sitting by the fire, and sat down next to her. "Hey Kat."

"Hey," Katherine said, not looking up from her book.

"What's up?"

"Nothing."

Caroline frowned. "You seem upset."

"I'm not upset."

Caroline pressed her lips together. "Sure you're not."

Katherine sighed, closing the book and turning to look at Caroline. "You were pretty awful to Klaus."

_Seriously?_

"What do you mean? He deserved it."

Katherine sighed, but it wasn't her usual exasperated one; it sounded more resigned than anything. "Do you know why Tatia broke up with Klaus?"

"Yeah. Because he was being really possessive and controlling."

"No. It wasn't," Katherine said, looking unsure for the first time during the conversation. "Look, not many people know this, and Tatia would kill me if I told you, but it wasn't because he was controlling. That's what she made it sound like, and people believed her because she's...you know..._Tatia._ But it was because she cheated on him."

"She _what_?"

"She cheated on him. With Elijah."

"Klaus's brother?"

Caroline felt her stomach drop. She'd basically told Klaus that he deserved Tatia cheating on him, and that he shouldn't try to prevent Rebekah from going out with a guy who was about as much of an asshole as you could be (though she still didn't agree with his methods). She hadn't known, and Klaus must have known that, but it probably hurt.

"Yeah. My sister...Well, she's the picture perfect model student, and she's sickeningly nice, but she's in Slytherin for a reason. She likes power, and after Finn decided to give up the hereditary seat in the ICW…"

"It went to Elijah," Caroline finished, sighing.

God, she was a terrible person.

"I feel awful."

Katherine nodded. "Well, to be fair you didn't know, but you shouldn't have said it. You didn't know what you were talking about."

Caroline bit her lip. "Do you think I should apologize?"

Katherine raised an eyebrow.

"Right. I should apologize. I have Arithmancy with him next period. I'll do it then."

Katherine nodded. "He's probably still mad. Good luck."

Caroline grabbed her bag. Maybe she could catch Klaus before class? Otherwise she'd have to do it afterwards, and that would give him a chance to leave. She decided to wait for him outside the classroom.

He was about five minutes early, and he paused in the hallway when he saw her alone in front of the classroom, before huffing and starting to walk towards the door to the classroom.

"Klaus, wait."

He stiffened.

"Um, can we talk?"

"I think you've said enough, frankly."

She sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I said."

"About what?" he asked.

She realized that he was asking which part she was apologizing for. "Everything."

He turned to face her, still tense. "Everything?"

"I didn't know about Tatia."

He snorted. "Right, and you think that not knowing excuses your behavior? That it makes it all right to make assumptions about my life?"

"No, no. I didn't mean it like that."

He snorted and started to turn back around. "Klaus, seriously. I'm trying to apologize. I put my foot in my mouth and I'm sorry."

"Yes, you did, and I don't particularly care how sorry you are."

"Klaus…"

"Just stop, Caroline."

"I'm sorry, though. I really, really am."

"Yes, I can tell, but that doesn't mean that I have to stop being angry at you."

"Yeah. That's true," she said quietly, wincing. "What can I do to make it up to you?"

"It's almost time for class," he said, ignoring her question and starting for the door.

Caroline heard footsteps approaching, and turned to see Liv coming down the hall with Luke. Caroline winced as she watched the classroom door shut behind him.

They all walked in and Caroline took a seat next to Liv at their usual table, but didn't feel like participating in the conversation or the class discussion, something that was unusual for her. Klaus didn't participate either, instead doodling on parchment the way he used to.

Instead, she looked out the castle window, not even bothering to take notes. Liv gave her a concerned look, but apparently decided to wait until after class to interrogate her. Professor Vector shot both her and Klaus confused glances through the entire class, apparently wondering why they both stopped answering her questions.

Caroline started subtly packing her bag before they were dismissed, and was the first one out the door to accost Klaus. She didn't know why she felt the need to apologize again, but the guilt was gnawing at her.

Klaus gave an exasperated sigh when he saw her outside the door. "I'm completely serious, Caroline. Leave me alone."

She opened her mouth to apologize again, but saw how serious the look he was giving her was, and closed it again. He turned to walk away. "Klaus."

He kept walking.

"Thanks for the notes."

He paused. "Don't thank me. Just be glad I'm not a _useless_ dickweed."

She winced at the emphasis he put on 'useless'.

She'd really fucked up.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading!**

**So, info dump time: ****Bonnie is in Ravenclaw. I will try to sneak in info about the universe as the story goes along. If you've read my other stories, you know how much I like my little details ;)**

**On pairings: Elena is with Stefan. Damon is in love with her. I will not tell you the end ships (besides Klaroline, obviously), but I WILL tell you to remember that these characters are young. People get together and break up. Couples that get together early in the story may not be together at the end. Carenzo will last a few chapters, but is NOT endgame. **

**This story is the first I've written where Damon and Caroline never dated and he wasn't abusive. THIS IS AN AU/AH. I will not be using that plotline because it's not necessary or relevant to this plot. You can read more about my reasoning on my tumblr in my rants section if you are so inclined. I did this because Damon has fun dialogue, and I want to experiment with that. I've never written him as a sympathetic character, and I want to try it.**

**Be patient with the Quidditch. It'll be a thing eventually. I promise ;) Sorry for the long note. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me :)  
Please, PLEASE review. It's the only way I know if you like this, and believe it or not it makes me more motivated to write.  
Hugs!  
-Angie**


	3. The Werewolf Regulation Act

**A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews and encouragement on this fic! I appreciate it so much :)  
Some really fun stuff happens in this chapter. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!**  
**Hugs!**  
**-Ange**

* * *

Caroline bit her lip as she pressed lightly on the sopophorous bean, causing the juice to squirt out all over the dish she was collecting it on. They were brewing the Draught of Living Death in class that day (this was the first time they were doing it for an actual grade), and she was working mostly on autopilot while she thought back to the day before.

She felt like a terrible person. She really shouldn't have assumed anything about Klaus's life, but she couldn't apologize. Enzo had asked what was wrong repeatedly the night before, but she didn't feel up to talking about it, so she brushed him off. She could tell that he was a little bit upset with her for it, but frankly she didn't need the stress.

She heard the ping of a knife to her right and turned to see Katherine pressing one of her sopophorous beans too harshly, and just as Caroline was about to intervene, the bean sprang out from under the knife and towards Katherine's cauldron.

Without thinking, Caroline snatched the bean out of the air. The Draught of Living Death wasn't the most volatile potion in the world, but sopophorous beans had many magical properties, and the juice of them was used in the draught because they were effective sedatives.

The skin, however, was incredibly sensitive to heat, and when dropped into a hot cauldron could produce steam that would immediately knock out anyone in the a five yard vicinity.

"Nice catch."

"Thanks," Caroline said calmly, setting down the bean on the far edge of her desk, away from the cauldron. "That's what I'm here for. Saving you from potion-induced death."

Katherine nodded slowly. "So, did you apologize to Klaus?"

"Yeah. It didn't go well. I honestly don't get it. I don't think I've ever seen him this angry before about anything."

Katherine shrugged and nodded. "I'm not surprised by that."

"Why?"

"He wasn't expecting it from you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Caroline asked, adding a clockwise stir every seven counter-clockwise stirs as mandated by the latest edition of _Advanced Potion Making_.

"He likes you."

Caroline snorted. "No he doesn't."

Sure, Klaus paid more attention to her than a lot of people, but she was second in the class, and made baiting him part of her daily routine. He couldn't exactly ignore her. Plus, he was on the Quidditch team with her boyfriend and best friend.

"Enzo and I are dating. He knows that."

"Yeah. Does the fact that my cunty sister is dating Stefan stop me from liking Stefan?" Katherine pointed out with uncharacteristic frankness.

"I guess not. Either way, whether he likes me or not doesn't matter. I just need him to accept my apology."

Katherine just gave her a level look and shrugged. "If you say so."

"I do," Caroline said quietly, effectively ending the conversation.

XXX

"Daddy?" Caroline asked sleepily into her mobile floo, having just picked it up from her side table. "It's two in the morning."

"I know, Carebear. I'm sorry."

"What's going on?"

"The ICW had a meeting today."

"And?"

"There were a few really controversial laws introduced. I just need you to be ready to stand your ground on a few things, all right?"

"Sure. Whatever."

"You need to represent this family, Caroline. You know that," her father continued, and Caroline felt herself becoming more awake by the second.

"You voted for something I don't agree with, didn't you?"

She saw her father's face sigh in the flickering flames, and frowned. "Daddy…"

"I need to do what's best for us, you know that, Sweetie."

"What did you do?"

"Well, you know that I've been hoping to get Acromantula Venom reduced to a Class B Non-Tradeable good, and I need a bit more of the voting block to get that passed. Mikael Mikaelson has a lot of allies, and so…"

Caroline narrowed her eyes as her father trailed off. She paid a _lot _of attention to the current goings-on in international affairs, as she was the only one in line for the United States's seat in the ICW, and she knew _exactly _what the Mikaelson patriarch had been campaigning for.

"You want me to defend his stupid Werewolf Regulation Act."

"Caroline…"

"No. I won't. It's a terrible piece of legislation. I can't believe that you've even _considered _supporting this just to get your stupid Acromantula Venom ban lifted. It will ruin the lives of so many people."

"Caroline, it's not that bad."

"_Not that bad_?" she asked incredulously. "You'd be forcing hundreds of people out of work because of the discrimination that Lycanthropes face, as well as cutting their access to government-funded Wolfsbane."

"But the benefits–"

"There are no benefits except that you're oppressing a group of people that are dangerous for one day a month, and that's only if they don't pick up their potions from the hospital."

"Caroline…"

"No. I won't back you up on this, Dad. You've told me a bazillion times that I need to think for myself and make my own decisions when I join the ICW. This is a perfect example of that. I don't agree, so I won't support it."

There was silence as her father looked at her, almost sadly. "You're growing up so fast, Carebear."

She shrugged. "Teenagers tend to do that. Can I go now? Tomorrow's Friday, and I have to be up by seven."

"Just promise me that you at least won't speak out against it."

"Daddy…"

"Please, Carebear."

"Unless I'm asked directly, I won't make any comments whatsoever," she said, wording her answer carefully.

He smiled slightly at her neat loophole, shaking his head. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Daddy."

XXX

Her wand vibrated at six forty-five, and she groaned, rubbing her palms over her face. She was not excited for the news article to come out. After showering, she pulled on her clothes and gathered her school things, smiling slightly at her mobile floo message from Enzo wishing her a good morning and promising he'd talk to her after Quidditch practice that evening.

She dragged a half-asleep yet perfectly-groomed Katherine down to breakfast, and they both loaded their plates.

The rush of owls swooped in mere minutes later, and Caroline groaned as her owl stole her bacon and dropped the newspaper on her head.

She flipped it open to read the headline from _The Daily Prophet_.

**Werewolf Regulation Act May Have Gained Traction!**

**by Dennis Creevey, Staff**

_On September 23rd, 2010, the ICW had a meeting to discuss the possibility of passing the Werewolf Regulation Act (WRA), a piece of legislation written jointly by Mikael Mikaelson (England) and Giuseppe Salvatore (Italy), into international law. If passed, Lycanthropes worldwide could be required to list themselves on a public government record, something unseen since the Great War ended in 1997. William Forbes (United States) and Silas Petrova (Bulgaria) have joined those supporting. _

"_Though we understand that werewolves are only dangerous a few times a year, that does not change the fact that they _are _dangerous," Mikaelson said at a press conference. "We must protect our children and our society from the risks. In addition, the money that is spent by the wizarding population each year to support these people is astonishing."_

_Joshua Parker (Canada) opposes, as does Pearl Zhu (China), the latter adding that the law was "a disgusting attempt to scapegoat a group of people for the economic issues that Mikaelson's votes helped create."_

_Hermione Weasley, Head of the English Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures adds: "It's completely unbelievable that this sort of bias is still present in the wizarding world today. It sometimes feels as though we've barely made any progress since we defeated [He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named]."_

_British Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt agrees with Department Head Weasley, and has asked that the population remain level-headed during this time._

Caroline sighed as she handed the paper to Katherine who shrugged. "I knew this was happening, and it's not my problem anyway. Tatia's the one that will have to deal with this bullshit."

"But I'm in line for a seat, Kat."

Katherine shrugged. "And do you agree with this?"

"No," Caroline said, almost offended.

"Then don't worry about it. When you get the seat later in life you can save the world. For now, it's time to go to Transfiguration so that you can awkwardly try to catch Klaus's eye while he alternately ignores you and looks at you like a kicked puppy when he thinks that you're not paying attention."

Caroline snorted. "He does not look at me like a kicked puppy."

XXX

"Katerina."

"Katherine," Katherine corrected Klaus irritably, turning to face him.

Caroline tried to catch his eye, but as with the last week, his eyes just slid over her as though she didn't exist. He looked tired, and there was a way he held himself that suggested that he had some sort of injury on his side. She hoped that it wasn't her fault (and a part of her was saying not to be arrogant enough to assume that his life revolved around her), though from what she was seeing, she was inclined to blame Quidditch.

"Can you lend me your book for Defense? I need to do my essay."

"Isn't that due today?"

"After this free period, yes," he said impatiently. "May I borrow it or not?"

Katherine shrugged, pulling out her book and giving it to him.

He nodded at her before walking down the corridor without so much as a look or a word in Caroline's direction. "He's really mad," Caroline said quietly.

Katherine shrugged. "Well, not to be insensitive or anything, but we knew that."

Caroline snorted. "I have Enchanting. I'll see you later."

"Bye, Care."

Caroline headed towards the Charms corridor, adjusting her bag more comfortably on her other shoulder as she went, humming to herself. She turned the corner to see Klaus fiddling with his mobile floo, Katherine's book under his arm, with Trevor Ford coming out of the hallway nearest, his wand up and pointed at Klaus.

"_Stupefy!"_

"_Protego!"_ Caroline shouted, putting a shield in front of Klaus, protecting him from Trevor's spell.

Trevor looked at her in confusion, but Klaus waved his wand at the other boy, who immediately toppled over in a body bind. "I could have handled that," Klaus said quietly, waving his wand absently, giving Trevor neon pink antlers.

She shrugged. "Well, you didn't have to."

"I hope you don't think I'm going to thank you."

"I didn't," Caroline said quietly as Klaus nudged Trevor with his foot.

"Mister Mikaelson, Miss Forbes, what's going on?" asked Professor Tonks, who apparently had been leaving her classroom to go somewhere.

"Trevor attacked Klaus, Professor Tonks," Caroline said.

"And was it necessary to give Mr Ford antlers?"

"No, Professor," Klaus said, though he didn't sound the least bit sorry.

"Detention, both of you."

"Why doesn't Ford get detention?" Klaus asked, somewhat irritably, though Caroline talked over him.  
"What? But Professor, I didn't do anyth–"

"Don't argue with me, Miss Forbes. As for Mr. Ford, I believe that antlers are punishment enough. I'll send you details tomorrow at breakfast."

Professor Tonks waved her wand and Trevor was freed.

"Hospital Wing, Mr. Ford. Just to be safe," she ordered, grabbing his shoulder to walk away towards the other end of the castle.

Caroline turned to face Klaus, her hands on her hips. "Were those antlers really necessary? Now we're in trouble."

"Are you actually angry at me for retaliating when I got attacked from behind?" Klaus asked, the unspoken _Especially after the last week_ ringing loud and clear.

Caroline's shoulders slumped. "No. Sorry."

He just shrugged and headed in the opposite direction, leaving Caroline to sigh as she walked to Enchanting, getting there right after the chime that indicated that class had started and dropping her bag next to Luke.

Professor Flitwick gave her a light chiding glance, but didn't comment, instead turning to the blackboard, waving his wand so that the chalk would write the words he was dictating.

"Today we will be working on color-changing enchantments, one of the most basic enchantments possible. Can anyone tell me the difference between a charm and an enchantment? Yes, Mister Davis?"

"An enchantment is permanent, while a charm is temporary."

"Excellent, five points to Slytherin. Have you all read the chapter? Good. I have here some ordinary pebbles from the shores of the lake, and I want you all to try your best to change them to the color of your choice."

The box of pebbles was passed around, and Caroline set hers in front of her, pulling out her wand.

"_Coloris Mutatio."_

The pebble vibrated for a moment, but didn't change color. She practiced the wand movement carefully before trying again, giving herself a mental pat on the back when the pebble turned a very pale shade of pink.

"Excellent work, Miss Forbes. Five points," Flitwick said, walking past her. "Perhaps you should attempt to give the stone a pattern. Choose something simple first, such as pinstripes."

"All right, Professor."

By the end of the lesson, she'd managed to give her pebble a rather ugly plaid pattern that would hold for over five minutes, and was rather pleased with herself.

XXX

Caroline yawned as she spooned oatmeal into her bowl at the breakfast table on Saturday morning, studiously ignoring the existence of the envelope sitting next to her plate, the note in it which held the time and date of her detention peeking out slightly. Katherine was sitting next to her, deep in discussion with Rebekah about something that Caroline didn't bother listening in on.

"What's that envelope, Gorgeous?" Enzo asked as he sat down next to her, snagging a piece of bacon off of her plate, causing her to glare at him.

"It's going to tell me about my detention."

"Detention?" he asked, his eyebrows raised. "You got _detention_?"

"Next Saturday at six," she mumbled, shoving a spoonful of oatmeal in her mouth in an effort to keep him from questioning her about it more.

It didn't work.

"What did you _do?_"

"I was an innocent bystander when Klaus hexed Trevor Ford, so now we both have detention."

"You both have it?"

"Yep. Trevor hexed him from behind, and I used a shield, and Klaus body bound him, and then put antlers on him unnecessarily."

"You got detention for that? That's ridiculous," Enzo said.

Caroline nodded, happy he agreed with her, but then when he spoke again, she frowned.

"He's missing Quidditch practice because he put antlers on Ford's head? Honestly, I will slit his throat myself."

"_Really?_" Caroline asked irritably. "I get the second detention in my entire school career and you're worried about Klaus missing Quidditch practice?"

Enzo sighed. "Well, as you said, you're not exactly in trouble often. I'm sure you'll survive. However, we won't win against Gryffindor with our Keeper peeling shrivelfigs for three hours."

"Cleaning the trophy room, actually."

Enzo shrugged. "Sorry, Gorgeous. I didn't mean to be short with you. I'm just frustrated."

"It's fine."

He kissed her nose, making her wrinkle it and laugh. "Well, at least I have warning now, so I can schedule a make-up practice. I have to go to the library and work on a few things."

"All right. Are we still meeting later?"

"If you'd like."

She nodded and kissed him lightly before he left.

XXX

Caroline sat at the table in the library on Monday, flipping through their notes. She hadn't found a stack of parchment with Klaus's notes for the week like she had for the last one, which hopefully indicated that he was planning on coming. Sure enough, he walked through the library doors and dropped his bag down near her, pulling out his notes and setting them on the table.

"Hey."

"I've made a list of research topics for the anatomy notes we need to make," he said, ignoring her greeting. "I think the only things we need to worry about are the vocal chords, mouth, and ears, but I could be wrong."

The way that spell creation worked, especially with spells that involved the human body, was with a lot of research on whatever you were going to be casting on, and then using that research to develop arithmatic equations to create magic tailored to manipulating that item or body part to do what you wanted it to do.

The spell they were doing was incredibly complicated, and required a lot more than just changing the words that came out of someone's mouth.

They had to develop a way to manipulate the vocal chords and mouth to produce the desired tone and sounds, while making it sound and feel to the speaker as though they'd said what they'd meant to say. It would be a lot of work, but Caroline was confident that they'd be able to manage it.

"Sounds right."

He nodded shortly as though he'd expected this. "I've asked Mr. Boot for some recommendations in the healing section for anatomy information, and he gave me a list," Klaus said, pulling out a piece of parchment. "_Gemino_."

The list duplicated, and he gave her a copy. "Thank you."

He nodded. "The first thing we need to establish is obviously what accent so that we know what sounds we're using."

"American," Caroline said decisively, making his lips twitch. "I already recorded myself."

She pulled out a mirror and tapped it, making her face appear and repeat the word 'Seriously' in various tones and speeds. He grabbed a piece of parchment and carefully wrote out the word phonetically ('S-ee-r-ee-ou-oo-s-l-ee'), and drew nine boxes, numbering them.

"What are you doing?" Caroline asked curiously.

"You'll see," he muttered. "Pronounce the 's' sound."

She frowned but did so, and watched him sketch a picture of her mouth, both front and in profile, her teeth pressed together with her tongue curled behind them.

"That's kind of genius," she said, not even thinking about the words before they were out of her mouth.

He smirked. "'E' sound now, love. And no one accused me of being unintelligent."

She huffed, but did as he asked. They went through the whole word slowly, her pronouncing the sounds over and over with him sketching every step of her mouth. "_Gemino_," he said, tapping the parchment with his wand and handing her a copy. "You do one through five, and I'll do the last four and the lips opening and closing at the beginning and end of the word. They have multiple copies of the anatomy book."

"Okay," she said agreeably, then frowned. "That's kind of a lot of work for you comparatively, though."

A shadow of a frown crossed his face, and she winced internally.

"Well, I wouldn't want to be useless would I?"

"Look, Klaus. Really, I'm sorry. It was an awful thing for me to say, and I didn't mean it."

He shrugged. "If you hadn't meant it, you wouldn't have said it."

"Well, I wasn't exactly happy with what you'd said to me, but I didn't mean you were useless."

He hummed in passive agreement, throwing his bag over his shoulder.

"I'll see you in Arithmancy?" she half-asked, hoping that she hadn't accidentally made him remember that he was angry with her.

"Obviously," he said, though he didn't sound angry so much as tired.

XXX

Caroline moved the rag in slow, steady circles over the trophy, reflecting that, as detentions went, this probably wasn't so bad (not that she'd had many of them to judge by). Klaus was on the other side of the room, studiously ignoring her. She hadn't tried to make conversation yet, but she'd never done well with awkward silences, and this silence wasn't even close to comfortable.

She only lasted about another five minutes.

"So, um, how are you?"

She heard a scoff from behind her. "_How are you? _Really, love, is that the best conversation starter you can come up with?"

She blushed. "Sorry."

"Also a rather pathetic attempt, as I've been hearing that from you all week."

She turned, about to snap back at him, but she realized that his lips were quirked. He was teasing her. She huffed, rolling her eyes. "Well I can't ask 'what are you up to', can I?'

"I suppose not. But, for the record, I'm in detention."

She couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped her. "Really? So am I, funnily enough."

He snorted and turned back to the case he was polishing, and she couldn't help but admire his biceps as he scrubbed at a particularly stubborn spot of god-knows-what on an _Award for Special Services to the School awarded to Colin Creevey posthumously for outstanding bravery_. "I see that."

She turned around to continue polishing the trophy she was on until it was gleaming, and as she moved the rag she saw Klaus subtly turn around in the reflection, his eyes flicking over her ass as she bent over slightly to get a stain off of the base.

She felt a blush creep over her face, but fought to suppress it, wracking her brain for something to ask to break the silence.

"Can I ask you a question?"

He stilled. "Depends what it is."

"What was the jinx you used?" she asked, having honestly wondered about that since it had happened.

He smiled slightly. "That would be the Deer-horn hex."

"Kind of a misnomer," she said.

He nodded. "They also are always pink. I don't know why that's not in the name."

"Where did you find it?"

He smirked. "Funnily enough, my older brother Finn's girlfriend Sage invented it for _her _seventh year arithmancy project. As I recall, he overstepped his bounds slightly, and she decided that revenge was best served cold, which explains the 'horn' part. She's rather fond of puns."

"You have a big family," Caroline said quietly, more of a statement than a question.

"You knew that. You know my family," he pointed out.

It was true. She'd been friends with Kol and Rebekah since she was a child, though they'd never been close until Hogwarts, as the only time they spent together was when there were stuffy events that the families of the ICW attended and they were all relegated to the 'Children's Table'.

It was at one such event that she and Klaus ended up with a rather petty rivalry. They'd been around six, and no matter how ridiculous the original reason was, the (mostly) friendly baiting of each other remained.

_Caroline walked towards the large double doors of the Salvatore mansion (who were hosting the annual ICW family dinner), but was shoved aside by a boy with dirty blonde curls around her age. As she recalled, he was one of the Mikaelson kids._

_She didn't like his father, to be frank. He gave her an odd, icky feeling. She liked Rebekah and Kol though. They were fun to play with occasionally, though she preferred both of them in small doses._

_"Niklaus! Do not just barge through the door! what have I told you about letting ladies go first?" Esther chastised, grabbing Klaus by the shoulder._

"_What does it matter? We're just going to the tables, we're all going to end up eating at the same time anyway."_

_Caroline wrinkled her nose. That was rather rude of him, both to his Mom and to her. _

"_Because it's polite," Caroline said, rather snottily._

_Klaus gave her an unimpressed look. "And why should I be polite to you?"_

"_What's that supposed to mean?" Caroline asked, placing her hands on her hips and frowning at him. _

_He shrugged. "I don't know you."_

"_You should be polite to everyone, even strangers," Caroline reprimanded him._

"_You can't tell me what to do," Klaus pointed out, equally annoyed. _

"_What's your name? I'm Caroline."_

"_Klaus."  
"Good, now we're not strangers. Now, _excuse _me, but I'd like to go inside," she said, pushing past him._

_What a meaniehead._

"So, how is...um...your family?"

He gave her an incredulous look. "Caroline, you speak to half my family on a daily basis."

"No, like, you know, your dad."

A frown briefly crossed Klaus's face. "Why?"

Caroline shrugged. "You know, my dad works with him, and he called the other day to talk about stuff going on, and–"

"And you want to know what's going on with the legislation," Klaus sighed, looking almost pained.

"Yeah."

Klaus shrugged. "There's really not much to tell. My father is trying to make it completely impossible for werewolves to get jobs or function in wizarding society. Muggle too, actually. He has plans," Klaus said, rather darkly.

"I wonder why he's so hateful," Caroline mumbled, before realizing how her words could be taken, and hastening to add a, "No offense."

"None taken. Trust me."

She nodded slowly. "So you don't agree with him?"

"I don't think I agree with a single thing my father's backed, to be perfectly honest."

"That must be difficult."

Klaus shrugged. "I suppose. What do you think of your father's politics?"

Caroline huffed angrily. "I think he's ridiculous. He wants all of these things that have little to nothing to do with society at large and is willing to do all of these terrible things to further his goals. It's disgusting. Especially since the cure to Lycanthropy finally was developed enough for public use a few years ago, and now if you get to the hospital within forty-eight hours of exposure, they can prevent it from taking hold, it's just an incredibly unnecessary law. I don't even know why they've even introduced the thing…"

She waved her arms as she talked, whipping bubbles on the nearby trophies more than once, and blushing as she cleaned them before continuing her tirade on her father's political stances. Klaus asked her lots of questions, and chipped in bits and pieces, and she enjoyed talking to him. It wasn't until she'd settled in her bed late that night that she realized how smoothly he'd changed the subject.

XXX

"Everyone come up to the front and take your keystones, and pull out your carving picks," Professor Babbling ordered as people filed in.

Caroline sighed and picked up her brick from the tables off to the side of the classroom near the blackboard, slightly annoyed that she couldn't levitate it with magic.

Ancient Runes was a subject deeply rooted in theory and logic. Runes could either be closely related to Arithmancy, or function on its own. There were several uses, including warding (both minor and major), spell anchoring to make an effect permanent, and a focus to enhance magical power. They'd been working on a minor power enhancer since the beginning of the year, which involved creating a chain of runes that would be compatible with her personal magic, as well as whatever spell she was trying to enhance.

All-purpose magic enhancers were difficult to create, but the rune necklaces they were creating could enhance specific simple spells.

They had a choice of what spell to use, and she'd decided on the color changing charm (mostly because that was what they were working on in Charms at the moment, and if she could help herself out she might as well).

She and Liv worked in silence as Professor Babbling walked around, commenting on people's keystones. She stopped by Caroline's and reached out her hand, asking permission to touch it. Caroline nodded and the Professor picked it up.

"Excellent work, Miss Forbes. If I may make one small recommendation…?"

"Yes, of course, Professor."

"I would change _Orvez _to _Ichbaz_. A creativity is more specific than one for imagination."

"Thank you, Professor," Caroline said, re-outlining the rune.

XXX

"Hayley tore up her shoulder," Katherine groaned, flopping down next to Caroline on the common room couch.

"What happened?"

"Damon accidentally elbowed her and knocked her into the stands during a drill. It was her fault more than anything. If she'd kept her balance it would have been fine. Seriously though, if she wasn't banned from playing until December I'd give him a medal."

Caroline raised her eyebrows. "Madame Robbins won't let her play until December? But she'll miss the game against Gryffindor."

"Yeah, speaking of that, Gorgeous," Enzo said, not even attempting to sound casual as he sat down next to her, grabbing her hand. "I was hoping you wouldn't mind filling in until Hayley's doing better?"

"What, as a Chaser? Are you nuts?"

"No," Enzo said, looking mildly offended. "You're good enough to do it, Caroline, and we need the cup, especially so that Damon has a chance of being recruited this year."

Caroline opened her mouth to say that it really wasn't her responsibility whether Damon got recruited to a professional team or not, but decided not to push on with it, instead going with, "What would I have to do, exactly?"

Enzo smiled, and she added quickly that she was asking for specifics, not saying yes.

"Well, you'd have to come to practice three times a week with everybody else, and you'd obviously have to get caught up to speed. I'm sure Katherine would be willing to help you with that."

"Damn right, I would," Katherine said, a bit too enthusiastically for Caroline's liking.

"And I know you're not fond of Mikaelson, but he could help you if you needed practice scoring."

"It's not that I'm not fond of Klaus," she said, noticing a brief frown cross over Enzo's face and hastily adding, "I mean, we don't get along well sometimes, but I like him well enough."

"I thought you didn't like him at all."

"We've known each other since we were kids, Enzo. Despite our differences, we get along just fine. He's even occasionally funny and pleasant to hang out with."

"Of course he is," Enzo muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Caroline asked hotly.

"Nothing. You're just spending a lot of time together lately."

"Well, yeah. We have a project, and we ended up in that stupid detention…" she trailed off, before narrowing her eyes, smiling slightly. "You're jealous, aren't you?"

"A little," he admitted. "As you said, you have known each other since you were young, and if you didn't fight all the time I think you'd end up good friends. You can't blame me, Gorgeous. You're brilliant and compassionate. I'm lucky that you chose me."

She blushed. "I'm not…"

"You are," he said simply.

She sighed. "Well, you should stop worrying about it."

He shrugged. "I trust you, both of you, actually, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to spend more time with you. Anyway," he continued, his voice taking on a more playful tone, "I would really appreciate it if you would fill in, just until the match against Gryffindor. Please?"

Caroline bit her lip. She wasn't sure how much she wanted more one-on-one time with Klaus. As she'd said, it wasn't that she didn't like him, but he was _obsessed _with Quidditch, and she had a feeling that it would not be a pleasant experience to get in the swing of things with the team. Then again, Enzo was giving her the _please_ face, and she'd always had trouble telling him no.

"What days are practice?" she asked, resigned to her fate, causing Katherine to squeal and hug her, and Enzo to give her a bright smile.

"Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays after dinner. Let me group floo message the team."

She gave him a long-suffering sigh. "All right. I'll be there."

"This'll be great, Care! You'll be great. You'll see," she said happily.

Caroline nodded. Her mobile floo chimed and she pulled it out to see a message from Klaus.

'_You have Thursday afternoons off, right?'_

'_Yes' _

'_Pitch at one. We need to get you up to speed. Have your Dad send you your broom.'_

She wrinkled her nose. _'But that's practically 5 hours of practice before dinner, and then more afterwards.'_

She rolled her eyes at the response that came moments later.

'_Bring water and pain-relief potions." _

She groaned.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you liked that. The only way I'll know is if you leave a review and tell me ;)  
Hugs!  
-Angie**


	4. Only Gorgeous

**A/N: Hey, everyone :) Thank you so much for all your awesome feedback.**  
**I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you to justanotherfiveminutes and Ckhybrid for beta work.  
Hugs!  
-Angie**

* * *

Caroline was almost done with breakfast, and she was half-hoping that the owl with her broom wouldn't arrive in time (although she knew that it wouldn't make any difference, since Klaus would just make her borrow Rebekah's, or something). She resisted the urge to groan when her owl flew in, accompanied by her father's, and flew down in front of her to give her the broom.

"Hey, Charles," she cooed after putting the broom down on the bench next to her, feeding the owl bacon.

"Charles?" Rebekah asked from across the table between bites of toast, clearly unimpressed with Caroline's choice of name.

"After Dickens, I'd assume," Klaus said to his sister before taking a bite of oatmeal.

Caroline was about to ask Klaus how he'd known when Enzo chipped in. "No, it's after the guitarist in The Garden Gnomes."

"Actually it's after the author," Caroline said quietly, wincing at Enzo's stare.

"Yeah, Mate. Haven't you noticed that when she's in a strop she sulks near the fire reading _Hard Times_? I've not a clue why, unless she just wants a reminder that her life could be wor-_Ouch_, love, you're not supposed to throw things at me until this afternoon."

"Well, maybe you should learn to catch before then," Caroline said irritably, plucking a new muffin off the plate near her to replace the one she'd just thrown at Klaus's head.

Enzo gave Klaus a rather nasty look that he clearly thought Caroline wouldn't see. She raised her eyebrows at him but didn't comment, instead standing up from the table, biting into her muffin. "I've gotta run if I'm going to put this in my room before I go to Potions. Klaus, can you pass me one of those apples? Thanks. See you all later," she said, tucking the apple into her bag and giving Enzo a quick kiss on the cheek (trying to make up for bruising his ego). She headed off to the dungeons, her broom slung over her shoulder.

**XXX**

"Today we'll be doing our graded brewing of the Draught of Living Death. You will work in absolute silence for the duration of the period. If you have a question, you may ask me directly. You may begin."

There was a shuffle as people went to the cabinet to get generic potion base and pour it into their cauldron to set it to boil, and Caroline, knowing that there was a deadline and having no interest in standing up to get in line and retrieve a potion base, thereby wasting precious time, began to gather her sopophorous beans and squeeze the juice out, collecting it for later. Once she was satisfied that there wasn't a line, Caroline got up to get a potion base, smiling slightly at the wink from Slughorn at her forethought.

She returned to her desk and set her potion to boil, trying not to grin as Katherine's normally smooth curls began to frizz because of the humidity, and started to brew, almost on autopilot. By the end of the period, she had a completely perfect potion, and she was in an excellent mood as she walked to Charms with Katherine.

"So, are you excited for Quidditch practice?"

"I guess. I mean, I like pretty much everyone on the team."

"No, I meant with Klaus."

Caroline shrugged. "I mean, he'll just be helping me practice scoring."

Katherine made a strange choking sound and Caroline threw her friend a filthy look. "That's not what I meant."

"I know, I know," Katherine reassured her, still smirking.

"What are you, twelve?"

"Sixteen and a quarter."

Caroline huffed, rolling her eyes as they made it to the Charms classroom. "Can you pick up some pain relief and energy potions for me before practice?" Caroline asked, remembering Klaus's words the day before.

"Sure."

XXX

"Can you fly a lap or two just so I can see how you fly?"

"To see if I do it wrong, you mean," Caroline mumbled, mounting her broom.

He shrugged. "Well, if you want to look at it that way, love."

She kicked off and zoomed around the pitch once, coming back to land next to him. "Let me see your grip."

She gave him a _'seriously?'_ look, but obligingly wrapped her hands around the handle. He glanced at it and reached down to adjust it, his hands warm and calloused. "Just move your thumb a bit. Yes, like that."

In her personal opinion, he really hadn't had to touch her at all, but she decided not to comment. The same thing happened with her one-handed grip, where he made minute adjustments, the heat of his body enveloping her as he stood beside her, and her hands felt oddly cold once he'd withdrawn.

He nodded to himself and grabbed the Quaffle, handing it to her. "We're going to practice passing for a bit."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes but obligingly kicked off with him to hover a hundred feet or so above the ground. "You know how to steer one-handed, right?"

She nodded, and he threw her the ball without warning, which she swerved to catch before pitching it back to him.

"Good."

They played catch for awhile, his throws getting progressively harder until he was satisfied, and then they stopped to drink some water and he told her they were going to practice scoring, making her suppress a smile.

She blamed Katherine.

They flew in the air and she sped at the hoops, the Quaffle under her arm, feinted, and shot to the left hoop. Klaus didn't fall for it and easily caught the ball, throwing it back to her. "Try again. Make your feint less obvious. Good form with the throw, though."

"Thanks," she mumbled, zooming around to try again.

A half hour later they took another water break, and Caroline felt like her arm was about to fall off.

"You're doing really well."

"I haven't even scored on you yet."

He smirked. "You nearly did twice, and I had two shut-out games last year. I'm not going easy on you, love."

He was right. Hufflepuff and Gryffindor hadn't scored a single goal against him in the regular season games. While she appreciated that he wasn't giving her special treatment, it didn't do much for her confidence. When she told him so he laughed, making her glare at him. "Yes, but when you do score you'll know that you earned it."

She decided to ignore how arrogant he sounded in favor of taking it in the spirit that it was meant. "Ready?" he asked, grabbing his broom.

She nodded.

They kicked off and she continued to try to score against him. She managed it around twenty minutes before dinner. He retrieved the Quaffle from behind the hoops and sped towards the ground. She followed him, landing next to him and dismounting, a bright smile on her face. "That was brilliant."

"Thanks," she said, slightly flushed and out of breath.

"Let's take a break for dinner, and then we'll come back for the _real _practice."

Caroline resisted the urge to groan, but obligingly took a quick shower in the locker room before meeting Klaus outside to walk back to the castle. His hair was slightly damp and he'd abandoned his school robes in favor of a soft-looking grey sweater and black jeans that clung to his form. She averted her eyes, and she could have sworn by the slight quirking of his lips that he'd noticed.

"So, how are you doing on your part of the project?"

"I think I'm almost done with the equations for the first three movements I'm doing. You?"

Caroline shrugged. "About the same."

"Are we still meeting on Monday?"

"Yeah, sure. Do you want to meet on Saturday as well for a bit?"

"All right, love."

He gave her a slight smile and held open the front door to the castle for her, walking in behind her to the Slytherin house table, which was piled with food.

Caroline sank down next to Katherine, the scent of food making her realize how absolutely _ravenous _she was. Katherine pulled out a potion from her bag and gave it to Caroline, who grinned and thanked her, downing the potion and immediately feeling the ache that was starting to spread through her shoulders fade away.

"I also brought you another outfit. You don't want to keep practicing in jeans," Katherine said, pressing a bag into Caroline's hand.

"Thank you, Kat. You're a lifesaver."

"I know."

She felt Enzo sit down beside her and give her a kiss on the cheek, and she smiled. "How was practice?"

"I scored," she said happily.

Enzo raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Don't sound so surprised," she said, smiling slightly and spearing a bit of asparagus onto her fork.

"Oi, Mikaelson. Don't go easy on her, please. We need her prepared for the game."

Caroline put her fork down and turned to glare at Enzo, just as Klaus responded. "I didn't. She played really well. You should have more faith in her than that, Augustine."

"Seriously, Enzo?"

Her boyfriend winced. "I didn't mean it like that, Gorgeous."

"Yes, you did."

She rushed through the rest of her food without speaking to him again, giving Katherine monosyllabic answers to her questions, and slung her bag over her shoulder, heading back out to the pitch.

She liked Enzo a lot (otherwise she wouldn't be dating him, obviously). One of the things that attracted her to him initially was how he seemed to value her opinion and intelligence. In the beginning of her relationship with him, they could talk for hours about magical theory and current events. As time went on, though, she started to realize that his tone was indulgent, as though he was simply humoring her when she wanted to talk about those subjects.

He also encouraged her to pursue things she was interested in or that she'd be good at, Quidditch being a prime example of that. She couldn't help but wonder now whether he truly thought she was good or she was just a convenient choice that he knew could fly.

He was often a bit condescending, though it was clear that he didn't mean to be. At the beginning, she'd chalked it up to him being older, and that he'd get over himself. Now, though, almost a year into their relationship, she wasn't so sure. He had so many good qualities that she valued, and he genuinely seemed to like her (and the sex was _amazing_, and she was totally on board with that), but she felt like they might need to talk about why he seemed to see her ideas as silly. He also seemed to underestimate her abilities, even at things he thought she'd be good at.

She knew what he'd say ("I didn't mean to come off that way, Gorgeous. You know that I think you're brilliant"), but she wasn't sure if she believed him anymore. But if he didn't value her ideas or skills, why would he be dating her?  
_Gorgeous._

No. There was _no possible way _he was dating her because of her looks. She knew that she was pretty (she had a mirror and some objective self-awareness, thank you, though the whole short-torso thing was not her favorite feature), but she had so many more valuable qualities than that. And he knew it, too. They'd had so many good conversations about so many things...No. He liked her for more than her body.

She changed into the yoga pants, sports bra, and tank top that Katherine had brought her and mounted her broom, re-braiding her hair to keep it out of her face before kicking off to fly some quick laps around the pitch while she waited for everyone else.

She heard Klaus shout her name and flew down to land next to him. She had never seen Klaus look so awkward, but he somehow did, shifting his weight to only one foot, his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans. "I know it's none of my business, but Augustine was out of line."

"You're right, it's not your business," Caroline said irritably, making Klaus flinch.

She winced. "But you're also right that he was out of line. Thank you for backing me up. It was...nice of you."

He smiled slightly. "I know," he said, his voice returning to its normal arrogant tone.

She shot him an eyeroll before watching him kick off, doing a complicated trick that involved him shooting into the air holding on by one hand and doing a complicated roll to sling one of his legs over, mounting the broom when he was already in the air. It was the sort of thing that she would have never attempted herself, and probably would have covered her eyes for if she'd known it was coming, but she appreciated the amount nerve and self-belief that it must have taken.

Although, really, Quidditch was dangerous in general (and it was probably best not to think about that if she was going to play).

She followed him (mounting the broom normally after giving him a wary look) and he smirked at her, doing a lap around the pitch practically at full speed and then a couple of loops before diving towards the ground and swiping the Quaffle from the ground throwing it to Caroline before stopping in front of the goals.

She watched all this with more than a bit of awe. She'd never seen anyone who wasn't a professional fly like that. "Come on. Try and score again," he called.

She smiled slightly, weighing the ball in her hands before speeding over and feinting right before throwing at the center hoop. He easily saved it, throwing it back to her. This went on for about twenty minutes, and Caroline found herself laughing as Klaus pulled all kinds of unnecessary tricks to save the shots she threw.

"Oi, Gorgeous, Mikaelson. Get back down here," Enzo called, breaking her out of her laughter.

They landed, Klaus smoothing his windswept hair, and Enzo shot him a quick glare. "Katherine, teach Caroline the stretches please."

"Sure."

She dragged Caroline a few feet away and bent down into a lunge. She directed Caroline through the first few sets before walking over presumably to correct something, but spoke quietly. "He's _totally _staring at your ass."

"Pretty sure it's Enzo's favorite body part of mine," Caroline said dryly.

"Not Enzo. Klaus."

Caroline gave a small hum to show she'd heard, but didn't pursue the subject, standing instead to mount her broom with Katherine and Damon to practice passing. "Can we try the Hawkshead attacking formation, please?" Enzo called, gesturing to the three of them.

"We follow Damon's signal," Katherine explained. "You take the right side, I'll take the left. We flank him until we get near the goal line and then look out for his pass."

"Okay."

They flew down the pitch and Damon flicked his wrist and threw the Quaffle to Caroline, who was a second too late on the catch. "It's all right, Blondie. We'll try again."

She worked on watching Damon's hand signals to see when he'd be throwing the Quaffle, and they fell into a rhythm fairly quickly. Klaus had helping out Rebekah with a Wronski Feint in the corner of the pitch, but when Damon called that they were ready, he returned to the hoops.

They practiced for an hour, Klaus saving almost every single shot besides one that Katherine managed to sneak past him from a behind the back pass from Damon.

They were all sweaty and achy as they went to the locker room to shower, and they started to walk back to the common room as a team, though Enzo grabbed Caroline's hand and squeezed it. "Hold on just a moment."

He waited until the rest of the team was out of earshot before he continued. "I'm sorry about earlier, Caroline. You know that I think you're brilliant at whatever you set your mind to."

She nearly snorted at the predictability of his apology, but kept her face straight, deciding that they might as well have the conversation now. "I know. It's just...Sometimes I feel like you say that because you think you're supposed to, and you don't actually treat me like my thoughts matter to you."

"Of course you matter, Gorgeous. Never think otherwise, all right? In any case, you played really well today. I'm sure that if you, Katherine, and Damon can fall into a routine, we'll beat Gryffindor easily."

Even though she felt as though he'd dodged the question, she was mostly reassured. She was probably just being silly.

**XXX**

"I really feel like we're getting somewhere with this," Caroline said excitedly.

Klaus nodded, giving her a small smile and pulling the stack of parchment towards him.

They'd each finished two syllables, and Caroline had taken copious amounts of notes showing her work and explaining why each equation was necessary.

Klaus had done the same, though his were noticeably less thorough.

"Let's swap and check each other's equations," Klaus said.

"Do you think I'm wrong?"

"Will you please stop assuming the worst every time I suggest something? You know you're brilliant. I know you're brilliant. Everyone makes mistakes occasionally, and an extra pair of eyes to check is always a good idea."

"Oh. Sorry."

He just pushed his paper over to her, and she did the same to him before speaking again. "Look, I didn't mean to get so defensive, okay? I just feel like people keep assuming that I don't know what I'm doing, and so I just...I don't know. I guess I'm kind of always expecting it now."

"I assume that by 'people' you mean Augustine," Klaus said, more of a statement rather than a question.

Her eyes snapped up to him, her response that it was none of his business sitting on the tip of her tongue. She held back, though, remaining silent.

"I know that you know that I think he's a prick. I won't pretend to know the dynamic of your relationship, and it's none of my business, really."

She nodded, not really knowing why she felt compelled to tell him about it in the first place. "He's just...he can be a bit…"

"Condescending?" Klaus finished, his lips quirking.

"Yeah."

"Well, if you're willing to put up with that, that's your prerogative. The heart wants what it wants, I suppose."

The last sentence sounded a bit sad coming from his lips, as though he had personal experience with unrequited love. Frankly, with all the girls throwing themselves at him on a daily basis, she wasn't quite sure how that would work with him, but she wasn't going to question it.

"I guess it does."

**XXX**

She was roughly shaken awake by a grinning Katherine, who was looming over her bed. "Caroline," she sang, "It's your birthday!"

"I'm aware, Kat. Thanks," Caroline said dryly, sitting up slowly and yawning. "What time is it?"

"Eight thirty."

"Seriously? You woke me up at eight thirty on a Sunday to tell me that it's my birthday?"

"No. I woke you up at eight thirty on a Sunday to drag you down to the common room where your boyfriend is waiting for you to give you your present. Speaking of, here's mine," Katherine said, pushing a brightly-wrapped present into her hands.

"Thanks."

Caroline opened the present, smiling as she pulled out a cashmere cardigan.

"I figured that I could indulge your horrendous penchant for grandma cardigans just this once. You know. Since it's your birthday."

"Wow, Kat. Thank you so much," Caroline said dryly, pulling out her bath things. "I'm going to go take a shower."

It only took twenty minutes or so to get ready, and she pulled on her new cardigan over her clothes before walking down the stairs with Katherine, immediately spotting Enzo and giving him a kiss on the cheek and a hug. "Good morning."

"Morning, Gorgeous. Happy Birthday."

"Thanks," she said, kissing him again, her arms winding around his neck.

Katherine made an obvious gagging sound, and Caroline pulled back to glare at her friend, who just smiled back innocently.

Enzo picked an envelope up from the side table next to the couch and gave it to her. It was a gift certificate to her favorite clothing store in Hogsmeade, and she smiled at him, thanking him with another kiss.

They all sat down on the squishy couches, and Rebekah came down a few minutes later, her hair still damp and sticking to her face from the shower. "Happy Birthday, Care," she said, hugging her friend. "Nik has your present, and I'm sure he'll be down in a bit. He, Kol, and I all chipped in together."

"Thanks," Caroline said, smiling.

"Of course."

They all sat together on the couches chatting, people coming by to go to breakfast or joining them. Kai came in a few minutes after Rebekah did and sat next to her with his arm around her shoulders. "Liv and Luke have your present," he said to Caroline before ignoring everyone in the room in favor of his mobile floo, as usual.

Klaus soon walked down the stairs, Marcel trailing right behind him, a small box in his hand. He tossed the present to Caroline, who caught it easily, before turning to his sister, who was spread over the couch with Kai. "Can I sit here?" he asked, gesturing in between them.

Rebekah rolled her eyes and scooted closer to Kai, patting the spot beside her, and Klaus huffed before sitting next to her, setting his feet on the coffee table. "Open it, love," he said to Caroline, nodding at the box.

She did so, unwrapping it carefully so that the paper didn't rip, setting it neatly beside her before lifting the lid of the box to find a beautiful silver bracelet sitting in tissue paper. It wasn't flashy, and it was exactly the sort of thing she would have bought for herself. She slipped it on, admiring it for a moment and giving Rebekah and Klaus a huge smile. "Thank you so much, guys. Tell Kol thanks for me too if I don't get to him before you. This is really nice, Rebekah, where did you find it?"

"Actually, Nik found it," Rebekah said, looking as though she was trying not to smile.

"Thanks," Caroline said, slightly thrown, but happy nonetheless. "It's perfect."

They held each other's gaze for a few moments, Caroline's lips pulling into a smile.  
"Let's go to the hall, Gorgeous. I'm starved," Enzo cut in, squeezing her hand.

She fought the flush threatening to take over her face when she realized what the exchange must have looked like. "All right. Me too," she said, giving him a quick kiss as he pulled her up, catching the shadow of a frown on Klaus's face, but deciding that it was probably just because Enzo interrupted.

It was interesting how much nicer Klaus had been that year. He was still generally an unpleasant person, but she'd seen a much kinder side lately. She thanked Enzo again for his present as they walked down to the hall, and he gave her an uncomfortable smile. "I'm glad you liked it."

"I'm going to sit with Liv and Luke today. I haven't talked to them in forever," Caroline said, kissing Enzo quickly on the cheek and walking to the Ravenclaw table, sitting down with her friends.

"Happy Birthday, Care," Liv said, smiling.

"Thanks!"

Luke wished her the same and pushed her present across the table, which she picked up happily, unwrapping it to find Luna Lovegood's new Fantasy novel. "Oh my god, you guys are the best," she said, flipping through it. She'd meant to owl order it earlier that week, but she'd never gotten around to it (and she also knew that someone would probably buy it for her). "You got it _signed_?" she asked incredulously, noticing the loopy signature in the front cover.

"You didn't think we'd just get you a book if there wasn't anything special about it, did you?" Luke asked.

"Well, I don't know, you _are _Ravenclaws."

"What's that?" Liv asked, grabbing her wrist. "I've never seen you wear that before. Did Enzo give it to you? It's beautiful."

"No, actually," Caroline said, suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable. "It was Rebekah, Kol, and Klaus."

"No, Darling. That was _all _Nik," Kol said, plopping down beside her and gabbing about seven pieces of bacon.

Caroline wrinkled her nose as he took a large bite, chewing with his mouth open. "That's gross, Kol."

"You're gross," he shot back rather childishly, taking another large bite.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "What do you mean it was all Klaus?"

"I mean that it was Nik's idea. He picked it out. You wouldn't believe how ridiculous he was about the whole thing, too. Obsessed about it for _weeks_."

Caroline scoffed, now absolutely sure that Kol was exaggerating to embarrass his brother (which seemed to be his favorite activity). Liv and Luke exchanged a long look, making Caroline frown. "What?"

"Nothing. It's really nice, though," Liv said again. "If Enzo didn't get you that, what did he get you?"

"A gift certificate to Vance &amp; Jones."

"Really?" Luke asked, sounding a bit unimpressed.

"He probably just didn't know what to get me. I'm hard to shop for," Caroline defended.

"Not _that _hard."

"Well, you two have known me for practically forever. Enzo hasn't."

"Well, since he's spent the majority of the last year with you—"

"He has not."

Liv just shrugged. "Whatever you say, Care."

"How are you and Tyler?" Caroline asked, feeling desperate to change the subject all of a sudden.

"Liv's doing the _thing_," Luke said, grinning.

"What thing?" Liv asked indignantly.

"The one where she's a bitch because she likes someone?" Caroline asked, a small smile on her face.

"Yes. That thing."

Liv rolled her eyes. "I'm not doing the thing."

"She told him the other day that she'd rather jump into a volcano than go out with him."

"Ouch," Caroline said, grinning.

"Shut up, Luke," Liv said, taking a bite of her scrambled eggs.

"I'd rather not."

"So you _do _like him?" Caroline clarified.

"Can we not talk about this in the great hall, please?"

"That's a yes," Luke said cheerfully.

"How are Quidditch practices going?" Liv asked.

Caroline shrugged. "They're fine so far. I think the rest of my team will kill me if I tell you anything specific, but I think I'll be ready in November."

"That's good."

"Yeah. I'm kind of happy that I won't have to play you guys. Hayley should be better by January."

"Would you want to keep playing even after Hayley comes back?"

"I might try out next year, but I'm just filling in."

"Makes sense. How are you and Klaus doing on the project?"

Caroline smiled. "Really well, actually."

"I'll bet you are," Kol sniggered.

**XXX**

"Happy birthday," Caroline's father said over the mobile floo.

"Thanks for the book, Dad."

"Of course, Carebear. I'm glad you liked it," Bill said, before pausing as a faint voice floated over the line. "Steven says 'Hi'."

Caroline laughed. "Hi, Steven."

"Your mom wanted to call too, but—"

"She was busy, yeah."

She heard her father sigh over the line. "She sends her best."

"Of course she does."

There was silence for a few moments before Caroline spoke again. "I saw the paper."

"Oh?"

"I still can't believe you're supporting that stupid law."

"It's for the best."

"Is it really, Dad? Do you actually believe the pile of shit they're trying to shovel with that law?"

"Caroline, that language was unnecessary and—"

"This law is unnecessary," she interrupted hotly.

"Carebear, you have to understand that sometimes in politics—"

"You have to pick your battles, I know. But seriously, Dad, this is ridiculous. There is no point to this. Why is Mika—Representative Mikaelson," she corrected herself, knowing that she should get used to it early, "sponsoring this law anyway?"

"He had a child that died from a werewolf attack," Bill said stiffly. "Henrik. It wasn't well-publicized, but it happened just a few years ago."

"Oh my god…"

The Mikaelson siblings had left for a weekend two years before, and had all come back somber. They had said that one of their siblings died, but they hadn't mentioned that it had happened because of werewolves.

"That must have been an isolated incident," Caroline said immediately. "That almost never happens. They were just...unlucky."

"The problem is that there shouldn't _be _any incidents, no matter how isolated they are."

"It's wrong, Dad. It's not fair."

"That's my girl," he said fondly. "You keep campaigning for what you believe in."

"Even if I don't agree with you?" she asked dryly.

"Well, if we all voted the way our parents would have, then I—"

"Never would have drafted and helped pass the House Elf Protection Act in 2004. Yes, Dad. I know. I've only heard the story about five thousand times."

"It'll be fine, Sweetpea. You'll see."

"If you say so."

"Well, in any case, I didn't call you to talk about politics. How's school?"

"Fine. Klaus and I are coming along on the project, so that's good."

"Think you'll get a good grade on it?"

"Don't I always?" she joked.

"True."

"I'm on the Quidditch team now as well. Hayley got super hurt, so I'm the new Chaser until she recovers."

"And?"

"I'm doing really well, apparently."

"I knew you should have tried out your second year. You're so much better than all those other girls."

She laughed. "Thanks, Dad. Will you and Steven come to my game?"

"When is it?"

"November 6th."

"We'll do our best to be there. You should invite your mom, too."

Caroline scoffed. "Don't try to give me false hope, Dad."

"Caroline...Your mother—"

"Loves me very much. Yeah, I know."

"We'll do our best," he said again. "How's the boy you were seeing?"

"Enzo? He's fine."

"That's it? He's fine?"

Caroline bit her lip, trying to decide how much to tell her father. "Well, I feel like he's not listening to me."

She heard Steven's voice faintly over the line. "Is she talking about the boy she started dating last year?"

"Yes," she heard Bill reply.

"Bring the mobile over here."

There was some shuffling and then Steven's voice came over the line. "Happy Birthday."

"Thanks, Steven," Caroline said, smiling slightly. "Look, Enzo and I are fine. He's just…"

"He's just?" Steven prompted.

"I don't know. I feel like he's really patronizing."

"Have you told him that?" Bill asked.

"Yeah. He said that he knows I'm 'brilliant' and whatever. I don't know. I really like him, and I think I just might be being too sensitive."

"What does your gut tell you? You know what I always tell you, Carebear."

"Yeah, yeah. Go with my gut. Umm...I think he doesn't mean to be condescending. It's just the way he comes off sometimes."

Steven hummed. "Well, keep an eye on how you feel. If you ever feel like hanging out with him drains you instead of making you happy, then you've got a problem."

"Thanks," Caroline said, privately thinking that she could have figured that much out for herself.

"What else is happening?" Steven asked. "I only overheard bits of the conversation."

"Well, we're working on Wolfsbane next potions class—the theory, not the actual brewing—and I'm pretty excited for that."

"Old Sluggy's invited us to his Halloween party. You'll be there, right?"

"Yeah."  
"Good. It'll be great to see you."

"You'll see me the week afterwards for the Quidditch match," Caroline pointed out.

"We like seeing you whenever we can. We miss you," Bill said.

"Thanks, Daddy."

"And what are you doing in Enchanting? Anything fun?"

Caroline grinned. "Well, we're doing color changing Enchantments right now…"

She explained what was going on in all of her classes and they talked a bit about Quidditch strategies before Caroline hung up and fell into bed. She felt better about Enzo. Her gut was telling her that he meant well. It seemed like Klaus was really warming back up to her after their fight. She fell asleep with a small smile on her face.

* * *

**A/N: So, the seeds of break-up are sewn with Carenzo. I wonder how long it'll be? ;) Are we excited for that? how do we feel about Klaus's present? Caroline's first Quidditch practice? Steven and Bill? Tell me what you think in a review! I love hearing your feedback :D  
Thanks so much for reading.  
Hugs!  
-Angie**


	5. Gossip Column

**A/N: Hey, all! Finals will be over whether I'm ready or not in three days, so after that I should have a lot more time to write. Thanks for sticking with me while I tough out my tests :P Thank you to justanotherfiveminutes and Ckhybrid for their help with betawork.  
Enjoy!  
-Angie**

* * *

"Hey," Caroline said, laying a hand on Enzo's arm as she sat down next to him on the couch in the common room.

He grunted, not looking up from his textbook.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked softly. "You've been giving me monosyllabic answers since my birthday, and that was like, half a week ago."

"Not mad."

"Okay, two syllables. That's an improvement," she joked weakly.

He sighed, closing his book and dropping it on the floor. "D'you remember when I said that I wasn't jealous of Mikaelson even though you're spending an obscene amount of time with him?"

"Yeah."

"I lied," he said succinctly.

She snorted. "You don't need to be jealous of Klaus, Enzo."

"I know that it's not exactly rational, Gorgeous. I didn't want to make a big deal of it since I know that logically you chose me."

Her instinctual response was to point out that choice wasn't exactly an issue when one of said choices wasn't actually a choice, but decided that he'd probably take it badly, so instead she just laid her head on his shoulder. "So be rational, don't make a big deal of it, and remember that I chose you."

"It's harder than it sounds."

"I'm sorry that it's hard," she said, nuzzling him under the ear and feeling him smile against her cheek.

"It's all right, Gorgeous. It's not you, it's me."

"Okay, never say that phrase to me again," she said, smiling slightly.

"I'm sorry about the gift card. I just didn't know what to get you, and I didn't want to buy something that you didn't like."

She nodded. "Makes sense," she said, still a little disappointed. She wasn't exactly hard to shop for.

He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into his side, and she snuggled up against him contentedly. She couldn't help but feel like he always took the easy way out of their conversations.

**XXX**

Caroline's head snapped up to look at Katherine, who had just opened the paper and sworn, causing Rebekah to raise an eyebrow, putting down her forkful of eggs, which had been halfway to her mouth.

"You all right there, Kat?" Kai asked slowly from next to Rebekah, eyeing Katherine as though she was about to explode (which, judging from her face, wasn't an unreasonable assumption). Katherine just huffed and pushed the paper towards Caroline, who bent over it with Rebekah looking over her shoulder.

_**Wild Child Nadia Petrova Hits Rock Bottom?**_

_**by Rita Skeeter, Staff Society Writer**_

_Nadia Petrova, socialite and daughter of Bulgarian Representative for the International Confederation of Wizards, Silas Petrova, as well as being the next in line for the hereditary seat, was arrested yesterday, October 19th, for flying under the influence of Nagini, an amphetamine restricted by the Ministry of Magic for its addictive properties, as well as its tendency to cause uncontrollable magic bursts. _

_This is the third time since she graduated from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft &amp; Wizardry with top honors (Ravenclaw, Class of 2008) that she's been arrested for lesser crimes. Is Miss Petrova really the best candidate to fill the Bulgarian ICW seat? _

"Oh, Kat...I'm sorry," Caroline said sympathetically.

"It's fine, it's just...We're all so worried about her already. We've known for awhile that she probably won't end up with the seat, but it's gotten to the point where Papa's been trying to get her to go to Abbott &amp; Bones. The problem is, she's an adult, so she doesn't have to go to rehab if she doesn't want to unless it gets desperate."

"It seems pretty desperate to me," Klaus muttered under his breath from the other side of the table, causing everyone in the near vicinity to glare at him. "What? I'm not wrong."

"It was tactless," Caroline explained.

"I'm not sure that you of all people should be attempting to give others lessons on tact."

Caroline winced. He had a point. He knew it too, judging by the way he was smirking at her.

"I'm sure it'll work out," Caroline said, giving her friend what she hoped was an optimistic smile.

Katherine sighed, her shoulders slumping. There was a quiet cough from behind them, and everyone turned to see Tatia, giving her sister a small smile before nodding towards the entrance hall. "Katerina."

Katherine didn't bother to correct her sister, instead getting up to follow her outside the hall, where Elena was loitering by the door, her hands twisting anxiously. "I'll see you guys later."

"Bye, Kat."

**XXX**

Katherine held up a card to show Caroline, a rune written on it.

"Ervat," Caroline said firmly.

Katherine nodded. "Which means…?"

"Exhaustion."

Katherine nodded and put the card in the 'correct' pile before picking up another one.

"Izbav."

"Yep."

"Umm...Cold?"

"Not even close. Imagination."

Caroline groaned as Katherine put the card in the 'incorrect' pile. It was Friday night and Caroline had a test in Runes on Tuesday. She wanted to get some studying in early, so they were in the library, switching between Caroline's rune test and testing Katherine on potion ingredients.

Katherine continued testing her until she'd gotten all the runes right at least once before shoving the pile of flashcards over.

"Um, Katherine?"

They both looked up to see Mason Lockwood standing awkwardly next to the table. "Hi, Mason," Katherine said slowly, clearly completely confused by his appearance.

"Would you like to go to Slughorn's Halloween party with me?"

Katherine gave him an assessing look, and nodded. "All right. I'll meet you by the entrance to the dungeons at five."

"Really?"

She raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Yes. Really."

He stood still and completely silent, just staring at Katherine in surprise.

"So...Umm….Bye?" Katherine prompted.

Mason nodded. "Right. Bye. See you then."

"Was that a good idea? I don't know if that was a good idea," Katherine said as soon as Mason was out of earshot.

"I think it was fine. It's good for you to date. Maybe it'll help you...you know…"

"Get over the fact that the guy I've had a crush on for years is dating my twin sister and she rubs it in my face?"

"Uh...yeah."

"How's Enzo coming?"

"What do you mean?" Caroline asked evasively.

"It seems like you're mad at each other but don't want to talk about it, and so you're just sickeningly sweet every time you're in the other's presence while inwardly seething in rage."

"How do you always know exactly how I'm feeling?" Caroline asked, only half-sarcastic.

Katherine shrugged. "Talent. Intuitiveness. Reading your diary."

"I don't have a diary."

Her friend just shot her a teasing smirk before checking her watch. "It's almost dinner. You ready to head out?"

"I have to go meet Klaus for the project, actually."

"Oh, do you?" Katherine asked, giving her friend a huge smirk.

"Shut up. I don't like Klaus, okay?"

To be honest, she was starting to see the appeal, and not just because Enzo was being a massive dickweed. Klaus seemed to _get _her on a level that Enzo never had. They'd known each other for years, but she knew that she didn't know the first thing about him. Somehow though, he seemed to know her interests...what she wanted to do with her life…And he didn't talk down to her. He _listened._

But she had a good thing going with Enzo, right? He was sweet and attentive. And cute.

Then again, so was Klaus.

Trying to shove away her newfound confusion, she gathered her books and bid goodbye to Katherine before moving to the Arithmancy section. Klaus was already waiting at the table, and he looked pale and a bit sick, but he still gave her a small smile as she approached. "Caroline."

"Klaus," she greeted. "How are you feeling?"

His lips twitched. "I look that bad?"

"Well," she said slowly, trying to get out of the hole she'd just dug herself. "You look…"

"Bad," he finished. "Yes, love. I'm aware."

"No…" she said, giving him a pained smile, but he rolled his eyes and pushed his stack of notes towards her. She sighed, starting to sit down next to him before pausing. "Are you contagious?"

He laughed. "Not at the moment," he said teasingly.

She smiled. "Okay. Well, how's it going with the incantation?"

**XXX**

"How about this one?"

Caroline tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, biting her lip, before shaking her head decisively at the blue dress. "Too tight. My dad will kill me."

Wizarding dress attire had moved much closer to muggle clothing rapidly in the past few years, and now it was considered normal for the younger generation to wear muggle dresses and suits. Caroline and Katherine were browsing at their favorite boutique downtown (courtesy of Enzo's gift card, for Caroline), and they were trying to find something to wear for the Halloween party.

"This?"

"I'll try it on," Caroline agreed, letting Katherine drape the dress over her arm before walking to the dressing rooms. Sighing, she pulled her mobile out of her jacket pocket before she shrugged it off, pressing the small, golden button on the side. "Tempus."

The mobile beeped quietly before a cloud of smoke came out of the small valve where the flame would erupt for a phone call, spelling out the time in floating letters above it.

"Kat, we only have half an hour before we have to meet Enzo and Mason."

"Well, we'd better get a move on then, because we're not walking out of here without dresses."

Caroline sighed. Fashion, according to Katherine, was _very _serious business. Frankly, Caroline would normally agree, but she really wanted to see Enzo. They hadn't been getting along well lately, and she felt like they could use the date to repair their relationship. At least, she wanted to.

He had been growing more distant as she'd continued meeting with Klaus for the project and for Quidditch practice, and she was _this _close to giving him a lecture and a good whack upside the head.

She wriggled into the dress, zipping it up with a wave of her wand (being of age made shopping _so _much easier), and turning sideways, inspecting her figure with a critical eye. It wasn't too tight, and the cut was reasonably modest, so there would be no judgy looks from her father and stepfather. "Kat?" she called, stepping out of the dressing room.

Katherine walked in, took one look, and nodded. "That looks good. I'll be done in a minute. I just want to try on this one."

Twenty minutes later, they were walking out of the shop towards the Three Broomsticks, and Caroline saw Enzo with Damon right outside, apparently waiting for her. She bid Katherine goodbye and walked over to Enzo, giving him a hug and a quick kiss, smirking at Damon as he quickly excused himself before turning back to her boyfriend. "Hey."

"Hello, Gorgeous. You hungry?"

"Yep," she said cheerfully, allowing him to lead her to a table.

They ordered food, and Caroline took a deep breath. "Enzo, I know we talked about it earlier this week, but are you mad at me? Because you still seem like you are."

"I'm not mad at you, Gorgeous. I'm mad at the situation."

She nodded slowly. "Okay. Well, stop."

He laughed a bit bitterly. "Sorry. I just don't know what you want me to say."

"I don't know. Say that it doesn't bother you that I'm hanging out with a guy to do an assigned group project. Say that you trust me."

"I do trust you," he said, looking frustrated. "I just don't know what I'm supposed to do. I like you, Caroline. I really, _really _do. I don't think that you'll cheat on me with him. He likes you, though–"

"Klaus doesn't like me, Enzo, that's ridiculous."

Enzo gave her an incredulous look. "He's nice to you."

"He's always been nice to me."

Enzo gave her a wide-eyed 'yeah, exactly' look, but she just rolled her eyes. "He's not he most pleasant person in the world, but he's not a total ass to everyone."

"When you're around," Enzo said firmly. "And, anyway, my point wasn't to convince you that Mikaelson likes you, because that doesn't have any relevance. The point is that I'm being an absolute arse about it, and I have no reason to, and I'm sorry."

She gave him an assessing look. He did truly look apologetic, and she wasn't about to call him on it if he really was sorry. The waitress came by with their food and set it down in front of them. They thanked her politely before returning to their conversation.

"Okay. Thanks for apologizing. You're coming to the Halloween party with me tomorrow, right?"

"I wouldn't miss it for anything, Gorgeous."

"Not even a tryout for Puddlemere?" she asked teasingly.

"Okay, maybe for that," he admitted, making her laugh.

"You know that my parents are going to be there, right?"

He froze, his sandwich halfway to his mouth before returning it to his plate. "They are? Both of them?"

"Well, my dad and his partner, Steven."

"The representative for the ICW?"

"No, the broomstick crash tester," Caroline said sarcastically, giving him a small smile to show that she was teasing.

He rolled his eyes. "All right. Not your mum though?"

"No. She has work," Caroline said, trying not to let her voice shake.

Enzo gave her a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure she'd be there if she could, Gorgeous."

Caroline resisted the urge to tell him that her mother was not only actively avoiding having anything to do with her, but also that he wouldn't understand, instead opting for a pained smile and nod.

**XXX**

"Daddy!" Caroline called happily, waving her father over from where he'd been standing with Steven by the appetizers.

"Caroline. Happy Halloween!"

"You too."

Bill pulled his daughter into a hug, which she returned enthusiastically before hugging Steven as well, who ruffled her hair affectionately. She glowered at him as she tried to straighten it again, making him laugh. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, thanks. You?"

"You know, meetings are meetings. Where's the boy you've been seeing?"

"Hello, Mr. Forbes," Enzo said from over Caroline's shoulder, having just returned with drinks for both of them. Caroline took hers with a quick thank you and sipped it as she watched her father and Steven size Enzo up.

"Enzo, correct? It's good to meet you," Bill said.

They shook hands firmly, and Bill asked Enzo about his plans after Hogwarts.

"I'm planning on trying for professional Quidditch."

Caroline winced as her father smiled indulgently. "I see. You're the captain of the Slytherin team, aren't you?"

Enzo nodded. "Yes. Caroline is doing incredibly well filling in for Hayley. We have an excellent chance against Gryffindor in November, I think."

"I told her that she should have gone out for Chaser in second year, but she didn't listen..."

"Shut up, Dad."

He just gave her a proud smile. "So, Enzo, any back-up plans?"

"Err...I was thinking that I might go into the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Maybe referee."

"Tough job," Bill commented, making Enzo smile somewhat stiffly.

"I suppose so."

As they chatted, Caroline found herself growing bored of the subtle interrogation and scanned the room for Katherine and Mason. She excused them and grabbed Enzo's arm to bring him over to Katherine, when they were stopped by Slughorn.

"Happy Halloween, m'dear."

"Thank you, Professor Slughorn."

He gave her a beaming smile. "I see that you've managed to see your father. Excellent treat, yes? I've just met your stepfather, and he seems to be an interesting fellow. Very bright."

"Yes. Steven works with our Department of Mysteries in the U.S. He's helped them make a few important advancements in developing a magical vaccine for Dragon Pox."

"Has he?" Slughorn asked, sounding impressed. "That's some incredible potions work."

Caroline nodded. "I'm sure he'd love to meet you, Professor."

Slughorn beamed and gave Caroline a quick wink before waddling off in the direction of her father and Steven. "Nice escape," Enzo whispered.

"Thanks," she said, grinning. "Do you want to dance?"

He wrinkled his nose and she pouted, making him roll his eyes. "Fine. Just one, though."

"Just one," she agreed happily, tugging him onto the dance floor.

She rested a hand on his shoulder and his naturally settled around her waist, their other hands joined together as they swayed. "I really like your Dad. He seems pleasant."

"Yeah. He's cool. Steven's my favorite parent, though," Caroline joked.

Enzo grinned. "Yes, he seems nice."

"I think they like you."

Enzo winced. "I hope so. I'd most definitely like to have your parents' approval."

She shrugged. "It would be nice, but it's not necessary."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that it's my choice."

"Well, obviously, but don't you take your parents' opinions into account?"

"Of course, but that doesn't mean that they can veto my decisions in who to spend my time with."

"I suppose," Enzo said, shrugging.

They danced for a little while longer in comfortable silence before a man she'd never met before approached. "May I cut in? Sluggy asked me to speak to Miss Forbes about an internship opportunity."

Enzo gave her a quick look and, at her nod, effortlessly passed her off to the other man before returning to the drink table.

"Internship?" she asked interestedly. "With what?"

"Oh, I just wanted to ask you a few questions. My name is Theodore Nott. I'm a staff writer for Wizarding Weekly News. I wanted to know about your thoughts on the controversial legislation passing in the house about werewolves."

"Excuse me?" Caroline asked, her mind racing wildly.

There were _reporters_ here? What was Slughorn thinking? And how much trouble would she get in with her father if she said how she really felt about it? She knew that she was panicking. She could feel her heart rate increasing as she searched her mind for what to say.

"Um…"

"Can I cut in, mate? I have to talk to Caroline about something," Klaus interrupted from next to them.

Caroline gave him a bright smile in thanks, though Theodore Nott raised an eyebrow. "Klaus Mikaelson, son of Mikael Mikaelson?"

Klaus nodded stiffly, holding out a hand for Caroline to take, which she did.

"What do you think of the new legis–"

"No comment," Klaus said firmly before determinedly whisking Caroline across the dance floor. "How's the incantation going?" he asked.

She saw his lips twitch at her returning frown (they'd finished it a few days before), and before she could speak she saw his posture relax slightly and he checked subtly over his shoulder before speaking again. "You looked like you needed saving. Was that all right?"

"That was perfect, thank you," Caroline said, a bit relieved.

He gave her a dimpled smile. "Anytime, love," he said, twirling her around before bringing her back into his arms.

She laughed. "Are you ready for next week?"  
"The match, you mean?"

She nodded.

"Yes, of course. Born ready, love. I think your real question is whether I think that you're ready."

She fought down a blush, giving him an unamused look. "Contrary to what you seem to believe, your opinion isn't _that _important."

"I think it is," he said, smiling softly. "Or, rather, I think that _you _think that it is. Regardless of whether you want my opinion or not, however, I will tell you that I think that you will play perfectly well. You're already just as good as Hayley was, and if Augustine follows my advice and keeps you on the team–-"

"You asked him to keep me on the team?" Caroline interrupted.

"Did he not tell you?" Klaus asked slowly, looking slightly sheepish.

"No. No, he hasn't mentioned it."

She bit her lip, still swaying with Klaus to the beat, though her eyes were unfocused. Why didn't he want her to be on the team? Was he ashamed of her? No, if Klaus thought she was good, he wouldn't have a reason to be. And he couldn't be threatened either, since it wasn't like she had any effect on whether he got a position after school…

"Why wouldn't he tell me?" she asked Klaus quietly, feeling quite vulnerable.

"Er-I don't know, love. My guess is that he didn't want you to think it was favoritism. You haven't played in your first game yet. He probably just doesn't want to get ahead of himself."

Caroline could tell that Klaus was incredibly uncomfortable, so she changed the subject rather clumsily. "How is your part of the project coming?"

He gave her a soft smile, showing that he knew _exactly _what she was doing, but replied anyway. "It's going well. Since we finished the incantation for the movement last week I've been working on the intonation for the vocal chords. We should be set by next Thursday, so I made an appointment with Vector for Monday during our free period to test the spell where she can supervise."

"Okay," Caroline agreed. "We'll just have to work on it a bit this week. How's before Quidditch practice on–"

"I hope that you're not under the impression that Quidditch practice won't be extended this week, because it will. I promise that we will be on that pitch every day after dinner until Friday, and I think you'll get sick of me from that, let alone from having to work in close quarters on the project."

She laughed. "I don't know about that, Klaus. You're not that terrible."

As soon as the sentence was out of her mouth, she froze for a fraction of a second, realizing that her comment could have been taken flirtatiously. He was wearing a small, smug grin on his face, but otherwise seemed to pretend that it hadn't happened, simply saying, "We'll see how you feel after I work you, Katherine, and Damon to the bone next practice."

"Deal," she said, smiling.

"Can I cut in, Mikaelson?" Enzo asked, having just come up to them, his voice tinged with light warning.

"Of course, Augustine. Pleasure, as always, Caroline," he said, kissing her hand and giving her a wink, making her laugh.

Enzo glared at Klaus as he took Caroline in his arms, and she whacked him lightly on the shoulder before grabbing his hand as they fell into the dance steps. "He's just trying to rile you up, Enzo."

"Well, it's working."

She shook her head. "Well it shouldn't. And what's this I hear about me being on the team after Hayley gets better?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Enzo's face before he pressed his lips together. "He told you about that?"

"I'm not mad, Enzo. Just confused."

"Well, there's not much to say. Hayley made the team, and she's out because of an injury. Having you fill her place while she's gone is one thing, but it's a completely different situation if she comes back and we still want you on the team. You're good, Gorgeous, but it wouldn't be fair to her."

Caroline frowned. Enzo liked winning, and she was fairly sure that if Klaus hadn't bought up the idea he wouldn't have been all that opposed to it. She said as much and he frowned. "Look, Caroline. It's not that you're not good enough. As Mikaelson said, you could easily give Hayley a run for her money. I didn't think you wanted to be on the team anyway."

"I like it now that it's happening," she confessed.

"And why's that?"

"It's fun?" she half-asked, trying to figure out why he looked so irritable.

"Of course it is," he said bitterly.

She pinned him with a harsh glare before disentangling herself from him and leading him off the dance floor, head held high, pace casual, completely aware of the reporters gathered around them, and trying not to give them anything to use.

"You need to get over this thing you have going with Klaus, Enzo. You're self-sabotaging, and it's not fair to either of us," she whispered harshly.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, really. Now, I'm going to say goodbye to my dad and Steven and then head back to the common room, but you're welcome to hang out here for a while. I saw the head of the Magical Games and Sports Department around somewhere. Why don't you go talk to him?"

"I'm happy to walk you back," Enzo said uncomfortably, but she shook her head.

"I want to be alone right now, I think."

He nodded, looking a bit like a kicked puppy, and she pressed a kiss to his cheek, trying to reassure him that they weren't over, before giving her dad and Steven a hug goodbye and leaving.

**XXX**

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Caroline groaned as Katherine shoved the morning paper in her face and she saw the headline of the Prophet's society section.

"Slow news day, I guess," Katherine said, shrugging.

"That doesn't make me feel any better," Caroline said, glaring down at the newspaper.

_**Caroline Forbes: Who Will She Choose?**_

_**by Rita Skeeter, Staff Society Writer**_

"You have _got _to be fucking kidding me," Caroline mumbled, taking a bite of oatmeal before continuing to read.

_Caroline Forbes, daughter of United States ICW representative Bill Forbes, and next in line for the seat seems to be exploring her options. Forbes is a top student, Chaser for the Slytherin House Quidditch Team, as well as ranked #18 in Wizard's Daily's Top 50 Most Fanciable Socialites yearly ranking for 2010._

"I'm _not _a socialite," Caroline complained. "I like parties. There's a difference. And I'm underage, they can't rank me in magazines."

"You were within a year of turning of age, so they can, and just keep reading," Katherine prompted.

_Quoted by her Head of House Horace Slughorn as "one of his best students of the last decade," as well as being in a position for great political power, Forbes is clearly quite the catch, as Klaus Mikaelson (son of British ICW Representative Mikael Mikaelson) and Lorenzo Augustine (fellow student) seem to have gathered._

_Forbes has been in a committed relationship to Mr. Augustine since the second term of the previous year, according to a source close to the couple. "They've been on rocky terms, but you can see that he cares about her," the source continues. "Unfortunately, it's unclear whether she feels the same."_

Caroline gaped at the article. "That's…That's _nuts_. Why would anyone say that? They're making me look like an indecisive bitch."

"Keep going," Katherine said, giving her friend a nervous look.

_This opinion was reinforced by Forbes's behavior last night at Slughorn's annual Halloween party. She was seen getting quite close to both boys._

_Klaus Mikaelson, who had an ongoing affair with daughter of Bulgarian Representative, Tatia Petrova (who famously called it off due to alleged jealousy issues and took up shortly thereafter with his brother Elijah), is first in their class and has already been scouted for various Quidditch teams. Augustine, on the other hand, is a year older than both Forbes and Mikaelson, and according to our source, plans to go into a career at the Department of Magical Games and Sports._

_When questioned, her father and his partner, Steven Whitmore, both attending the party, gave no comment, though the ICW representative implied that he hoped that Caroline chose a partner worthy of her affections. Whether that choice turns out to be Augustine, Mikaelson, or some other lucky man remains to be seen._

"Oh my _god_, Daddy. What the fuck?" Caroline whirled to look at Katherine. "What—what the _fuck_?"

Katherine shrugged. "It's Rita Skeeter. You know how she is."

"No, no I really don't. This has never happened before."

"What about last year when you and Donovan-"

"That was different," Caroline said immediately. "That was just a piece on the current class standing of all the representative's children, which they do every year. Matt and I just happened to be dating, so they put that in the trivia section. This is completely different. They're making me look like…like a manipulative slut."

Katherine sighed. "I'm sorry, Care."

"I mean, thanks for showing me, but _oh my god_. Like, don't they have anything better to write about than an invented love triangle with my boyfriend and Klaus?"

"Apparently not," Klaus said bluntly, plopping down across the table and ripping the paper out of Caroline's hand.

"Hey!"

"I heard my name. Please excuse me for wanting to read whatever lies the twat Skeeter wrote about me this time."

"How did you know it was Rita?"

"Who else would it be?" he grumbled. "She's the only one horrid enough to write about underage teenagers and treat it like news."

Caroline winced. "It's pretty terrible."

Klaus made a hum of agreement as he shoveled eggs into his mouth, his eyes scanning through the page quickly,

"Well, on the bright side, Slughorn said you were one of the best students of the last decade," he said through bites of food, making Caroline and Katherine grimace in tandem.

"Chew with your mouth closed, Klaus."

"Sorry," he said, not looking at all apologetic, rolling the paper up and handing it back to her. "Just ignore her. The thing with Tatia blew over relatively quickly. Well, mostly," he said, nodding at Caroline, though his gaze was more teasing than cruel.

It didn't stop her from blushing at the reminder of her behavior.

"Are you ever going to let me forget how much of a bitch I was?"

"Maybe someday," he said, giving her a soft smile before hoisting his bag over his shoulder. "Time for Transfiguration now, love. I'll see you there."

Caroline nodded to him as he left before hearing a quiet cough from behind her. She turned to see Enzo standing there, shifting awkwardly. "Hey," she said, giving him a small smile.

"Hey, Caroline."

"Sit with me?"

He nodded, sinking down on the bench next to her.

"Just so you know, I want to be with you," Caroline said softly, touching his arm gently, making him freeze in the process of spooning eggs onto his plate.

"I know, Gorgeous. I know," he said tiredly.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Are we excited now that Carenzo is approaching a break-up? Do we have any predictions for when and how Klaroline will get together? Are we excited for Caroline's first Quidditch match (it's right around the corner)? Do we think Caroline will stay on the team? How are we feeling about Rita Skeeter's assholery? Tell me your thoughts! :D  
If you'd like, you can catch me on tumblr (thetourguidebarbie), twitter (AngieWritesKC), and polyvore (zarialk).  
Hugs!  
-Angie**


	6. In Her Heart of Hearts

**A/N: It's Saturday somewhere ;)  
****For Giulia and Cassie. May the end of this chapter satisfy your wishes. :P  
Thank you to Sophie, Wifey, and D for beta work. You guys are the actual best.**  
**Enjoy!**  
**-Angie**

* * *

"It'll be fine. You'll do great," Klaus said quietly as Caroline pulled on her gloves.

She nodded, giving him a shaky smile. "I hope so."

They were gearing up for the pre-game warm-up, and Caroline inspected her hair, which she'd weaved into a fishtail braid and pinned up tightly to keep it out of her face, before starting to pull on her elbow pads.

"You scored against me three times last practice, and Stefan isn't even close to me in skill."

"Be careful, you might not be able to fit your head through a door if you keep talking like that."

He just gave her a dimpled smile, squeezing her shoulder lightly. "I suppose we'll just have to wait and see. Ready?"

She nodded, grabbing her broom and walking with him and Katherine out the front door to join Enzo, Damon, Kai, and Rebekah in the air. "Wait," Klaus said, grabbing her arm before she kicked off and starting to undo her elbow pad.

"What are you doing?"

"It's tied too tightly. You'll have trouble throwing," he said quietly, re-lacing it. "Does that feel better?"

"Yeah," she said, slightly surprised, bending her arm a bit. "It does."

She kicked off and saw Enzo shooting her a raised eyebrow, and she gave him a quick exasperated glare before rocketing off towards Damon, who was already playing catch with Katherine.

They practiced maneuvers and scoring for awhile, avoiding the Gryffindor side of the pitch and trying not to tire themselves out too much. "All right, everyone. Locker rooms for last-minute strategy session," Enzo announced.

The team all landed together and sat down on the benches of the main lounge between the boys' and girls' locker rooms, downing a bottle or two of water each and using the restrooms. Katherine, Rebekah, and Caroline went to re-braid their hair to make sure it would stay where it was supposed to. The whole team finally sat on the benches in the common area together, and Enzo took a deep breath.

"All right, team. It's the first game of the season, and we're going to kick some Gryffindor arse. Remember Kai, Megan is their weakest flyer of the chasers. Target her if you can, but if you have an opportunity, nabbing Elena earlier in the game would be advantageous-No offense, Kat."

"None taken. I'll throw you a party if you get her in the tits with a bludger," Katherine said dryly, ignoring Damon's glare.

Enzo suppressed a smile. "Katherine, Damon, Caroline: Jules injured her wrist in a practice a few weeks ago. She's good enough that she can play, but it's probably still stiff. Her passes should be easier to intercept."

"Aye-aye, Captain," Damon said sarcastically, making Enzo shake his head, rolling his eyes.

"Rebekah, be careful of Tyler and Mason. Gryffindor's strength is in their beaters. You need to make sure to dodge."

"I don't know if I can handle it," Rebekah said sarcastically, making Caroline elbow the other girl gently in the side.

"Klaus…"

"Don't let them score. Got it," Klaus interrupted, grinning.

"I was going to say for you to keep an eye on Lexi. She's clearly practiced over the summer, but that too."

Caroline grinned as everyone shuffled to form a circle, linking their hands. Hufflepuff was known for being the sentimental house, but the Slytherin Quidditch Team tradition, started by Bridget Wright in the early 15th century (the beginning year of Slytherin's longest cup winning streak of 18 years) was about as sappy as it got for the House of Snakes.

"Make a wish on the snitch," Enzo said seriously, bowing his head, the rest of them following suit.

It was silly, they all knew, and she could see Kai and Rebekah shooting each other secret smiles and stepping on the other's toes out of the corner of her eye, but all the same they took the moment.

Enzo looked up and they dropped hands.

"For Slytherin!" they all shouted, before grabbing their brooms and walking onto the pitch to cheers and boos from the crowd.

The Gryffindors met them at the center of the field where Madam Bell (the Flying and Quidditch professor) was standing with the trunk.

"I want a nice, clean game from you guys, all right?" she said with a bright smile, kicking the trunk open and letting the bludgers out, which started their ten laps of a head start around the pitch before they'd start following people, the snitch zooming out right afterwards. "Captains, shake hands."

Enzo and Jules did a quick handshake, nodding briefly to each other before all the players mounted their brooms.

"Good luck," Enzo whispered to her, giving her a fond smile.

"You too," she said, reaching out and squeezing his hand before turning to Madam Bell expectantly.

"Kick off on my whistle," she said, counting down from five on her fingers, the quaffle under her arm.

The whistle blew and she threw the quaffle in the air, which was immediately snatched by Lexi, who rocketed towards the Slytherin goal posts.

Caroline and Katherine followed her, Damon right on their heels, and Damon signalled for them to close in on her from the sides. Katherine zoomed to the left and Caroline to the right, forcing her to veer off track, and when Lexi tried to pass to Megan, Damon came up from below the group to intercept the quaffle, flying in the opposite direction.

"And that was a perfectly executed example of a Parkin's Pincer by the Slytherin team. Now, Salvatore has the quaffle, forming a perfect Hawkshead Attacking Formation with other chasers, Forbes and Petrova. Salvatore passes to Petrova, who passes to Forbes, back to Salvatore, Slytherin scores!"

A cheer erupted from the green section of the stands, making Caroline smile as Damon did a victory lap around the pitch before Stefan threw the quaffle to Lexi, who shot off towards the Slytherin goals.

"Branson with the quaffle, towards the Slytherin goals, passes to King, who passes to McManus, back to Branson, who shoots...Saved by Mikaelson! Mikaelson throws to Petrova, who passes to Forbes," Andie Starr comentated, her voice booming through the pitch over the megaphone.

Caroline was breathing hard as she flitted around a bludger sent her way by Mason Lockwood, swearing as Megan blocked her off and dropping the quaffle, allowing Jules to grab it and fly in the opposite direction.

"McManus with the quaffle again, flying...around the pitch? Gryffindor seems to have accepted that they won't score on Mikaelson, and are therefore attempting only to not let the quaffle fall into the opposing chasers' hands."

The game continued on for another forty-five minutes, the Gryffindor chasers playing a rather trying game of keep-away, leaving Klaus to fly lazily around the hoops. Enzo called a time out and told the team that all they needed to do was keep at least 150 points ahead to make sure that Rebekah had adequate time to catch the snitch and they wouldn't be caught off-guard. Once they were all back in the air, Caroline managed to snatch away the quaffle from Lexi a few minutes later and scored a very clean goal through the left hoop.

She took her victory lap, unable to keep the smile off of her face, and Enzo gave her a huge smile and a thumbs up before whacking the bludger at Tyler Lockwood's head.

Klaus shot her a wink as she flew by, and she rolled her eyes before rocketing back to her fellow chasers.

Slytherin scored five more goals after that (one of which was by Caroline), making the score seventy to zero, and Caroline was just about to grab the quaffle out of Jules's arms when she heard Andie's voice shout through the pitch.

"Oh, I think the seekers have seen the snitch!"

Caroline didn't bother turning to see the action, instead chasing after Jules in case the catch went wrong and the snitch got away. The roar from the crowd moments later made her stop to turn as Andie shouted, "Slytherin wins!"

They landed and Enzo and Damon high-fived, Enzo pulling Caroline into a quick hug and kissing her quickly, making her smile. She had been rather cold to him since the Halloween party, and she was still rather annoyed, but she was happy enough that they'd won that she'd allow it. She turned to see Klaus ruffling his sister's hair as she held out the snitch for him to see, a euphoric grin spreading over her face.

Klaus turned to Caroline and pulled her into a quick hug, which she returned. "Well done. That second goal of yours was really well executed."

"Thanks," she said smiling and turning to see Enzo right next to her, glaring at Klaus.

"Hands off, mate," Enzo growled, and Caroline had had just about enough.

Well, more than just about.

"Are you serious right now?" she demanded, her hand going to her wand, which was secured under her Quidditch robes. "You've got to be kidding me."

"He was–" Enzo began, a heated glare on his face, but Caroline interrupted him.

"This is ridiculous Enzo. You're being such a jealous ass. I just-_Ugh_."

She grabbed Katherine by the arm and stomped back to the castle, completely ignoring Enzo's shouts behind her. What a lousy end to what could have been a great day.

"Carebear!"

Caroline paused as she heard her father come up behind her, forgetting that he and Steven had promised to come to the game.

"Hi Daddy," Caroline said, smiling at her father. "How are you?"

"Great. You had a good game. That goal was very well done," he praised, pulling her into a hug.

"Thanks."

Steven pulled her into a hug as well, also enthusiastically praising her performance, and Caroline beamed.

"Katherine," Bill said, nodding respectfully.

"Representative Forbes. It's good to see you again."

"Are you planning on attending the Winter Benefit?"

As Katherine nodded, Caroline resisted the urge to swear. It wasn't that she'd forgotten, she just hadn't exactly been looking forward to the annual ICW Winter Charity Event. Now that she was of age, the reporters would be asking her all sorts of questions about her political beliefs, and the idea of smiling and nodding and agreeing with her father's policies was almost nauseating, but she knew that she couldn't go and undermine his political clout.

"Do I have to go to the benefit?" Caroline asked abruptly, interrupting Bill in the middle of his sentence.

"Of course not, but you love the parties."

Caroline shrugged. "Not if there are reporters."

Bill seemed to see her point, nodding. "Well, I'd like you to be there, if only to show a united front, but it's obviously your choice."

She gave him a brilliant smile, hugging him again. "Thanks."

"You can still come home for Christmas though, if you'd like," Bill said hopefully. "We always miss you at Thanksgiving because you're all the way over here, and I know that your grandmother misses you."

Caroline grimaced. She'd honestly rather do almost anything else. "I don't know. Maybe I should stay here this year."

"Well, you have time to think about it, but we'd really like to see you, as would your mother, I'm sure."

"Yeah, I'd bet she would," Caroline mumbled sarcastically under her breath, causing Bill to give her a chastising look.

"Caroline…"

"Sorry, sorry," she apologized tiredly. "How long will you be here?"

"We have to head out, actually. I have a meeting. I'll see you soon though, hopefully," Bill said, the meaning behind his words clear.

She should come home for winter break.

"Okay. I'll think about it."

**XXX**

Caroline moaned as warm lips brushed over the hollow of her neck, a tug of arousal hitting her in her gut. She tangled her fingers in his hair, letting out a small gasp as his teeth scraped down the skin of her neck, his tongue swirling around the bite to soothe it.

She rubbed her thighs together, trying to create friction, and she heard a familiar rumble of quiet laughter, shivering from his breath landing on her ear.

"Please," she moaned quietly, spreading her legs and wrapping them around his waist, rolling her hips against the bulge in his jeans, fisting his shirt.

His hands were darting down to hook a finger around the string of her thong, pulling it down to her knees before cupping her wet pussy in his palm, his fingers stroking her slick folds, teasing her under her skirt.

She moaned and writhed beneath him, reaching down to rub his hard cock through his jeans before undoing the button and fly, freeing his erection and taking it in her hand, stroking him firmly. She felt her lover smile against her neck, his stubble brushing her skin, mumbling her na–

Stubble?

Her lover groaned into her ear, biting and licking at her earlobe before moving to prop himself on his elbows. "Don't stop, love," he breathed, his face coming into view in the strip of light from the window...

Caroline's eyes opened, her breath shallow and fast and her pussy aching with need. She scrunched her eyes shut and opened them again, but was unable to clear the dimpled smile and blue eyes from her mind.

Determinedly flipping over and burying her face in the pillow so that she didn't reach down to soothe the throbbing of her core, she tried to control her breathing. Sure, Enzo hadn't exactly been the best boyfriend lately, but she would never cheat on him.

And yet, she'd had a sex dream about _Klaus. _

_And it had been a good one, _she admitted to herself, rubbing her thighs together and gripping her pillowcase, trying to even her breathing and return to sleep, at the same time scared of what she'd dream of.

**XXX**

"Ready?" Klaus asked as they waited outside of the Arithmancy classroom door for their meeting.

"Yep," Caroline said, reaching up to knock.

The door swung open and Professor Vector stood aside to let them enter, gesturing for them to sit down. Caroline took out the sheaf of parchment with their work, neatly stapled, and pushed it over to the professor, who looked through it, scanning the pages. "Everything seems to be in order. Have either of you tested the spell?"

"Yes. Caroline tested it on me."

"May I see?"

Caroline nodded and took a deep breath, facing Klaus. She bit her lip and brought her wand up.

"_Sonus mutatio!_"

"Say something, Mr. Mikaelson."

"Seriously?"

Caroline giggled, and he shot her a teasing glare.

Professor Vector waved her wand, and Klaus's voice was restored to normal. They chatted a bit about the spell and then Vector shooed them out, saying they'd both easily earn Outstandings if they got at least an E on the final test of the term.

"Looks like we're done," Caroline said, tucking a bit of hair behind her ear.

"Looks that way, yes."

"It was nice to work with you," Caroline said impulsively. "Thanks for...you know…"

"Not making you do all of the work like almost everyone else you've partnered with?" Klaus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah."

"My pleasure, love. I'll see you at practice?"

Caroline shook her head. "You guys don't have another game until after winter break, and Hayley will be better by then. Enzo made it pretty clear that she'll get her spot back."

"Oh," he said, grimacing. "Well, I do hope you try out next year. We'll have a spot open when Damon leaves."

"I'll think about it," Caroline said, smiling.

They started walking towards the great hall together in a comfortable silence before Klaus broke it, his voice almost nervous. "Would you like to study with me for the Ancient Runes test next week? Perhaps tonight or tomorrow?"

"Klaus Mikaelson? Studying? What is the world coming to?"

He laughed. "Well, I usually study at night, it's true, but you're much better at Runes than I am."

"First studying, now admitting you're not the best at something?" Caroline asked, faking astonishment and slapping her palm over her mouth, eyes wide. "I think I must be dreaming."

"Do you dream of me often?" he teased, making her flush.

_Only once._

"Not a bit. Wishful thinking, I think," she said, smiling at him, still trying to fight down the blush staining her cheeks.

He gave her a dimpled grin, his eyes knowing, but he didn't comment, instead changing the subject back to Runes.

"So. Tonight?"

"How's Wednesday?"

"Sounds good, love."

She let out an inward sigh of relief, trying not to look too happy with the change of conversation topic (and to ignore the twinge in her lower belly at the term of endearment that so naturally fell from his lips).

**XXX**

Frankly, she'd thought about it, and she'd decided to stay at school. She'd rather study and relax than have to deal with her family, and now that she was of age her father had no way of forcing her to go home. She fiddled with her fork as Slughorn came down the table, taking down the names of the students who would be staying at school (which there were very few of), and she told him that she would be staying as well.

"Ah, Miss Forbes… I wouldn't have expected that of you."

She shrugged. "I have some studying to get done," she said rather lamely, and her professor eyed her with his experienced 'I'm-your-teacher-and-I-know-you're-lying' face, but nodded.

"I hope to see you at the Slug Club Christmas party then, m'dear. And if you ever want to talk, you know that my office door is always open."

She nodded, giving him a weak smile.

"I know that you've been having a rough time of it recently, Miss Forbes, what with the Prophet article and everything-nasty business, that-but I'm confident that you'll handle it." he added sympathetically, patting her lightly on the shoulder.

She sighed. "Thanks, Professor. It's just been a weird few weeks."

He smiled slightly. "Would you like to come for tea on Saturday afternoon and we can talk about it a bit? I know a few people at the Prophet, you know, and I'm sure we could organize some sort interview or article."

She smiled slightly. Professor Slughorn, for all of his faults, really did care about his students, and he made an effort to be as supportive as possible (especially with his favorites, which was a category Caroline most definitely fell into). "Tea would be great, but I don't think the article is necessary."

He patted her on the shoulder again, giving her a grandfatherly smile, before moving onto the next section of the table.

"Mr. Mikaelson? Miss Mikaelson? Mr. Gerard?"

"I'll be staying, Sir," Klaus said immediately before turning back to his bacon.

"I'll be going home," Rebekah added, and Marcel echoed her.

It was interesting, Caroline thought, that Klaus would be staying at school over break when Rebekah and (to her knowledge) the rest of his siblings were going home. She remembered his words about his father and wondered if there was something more to that.

Enzo coughed quietly from the other side of the table, and Caroline looked up.

"D'you want to go for a walk?"

She bit her lip. Why did he want to go outside? Did he want to talk about something? Was he breaking up with her?

And why did the idea of breaking up with him not scare her as much as it would have a month ago?

The walk turned out to be just him wanting to spend time with her without other people (which she appreciated). She liked the feeling of having his arm around her, and it was nice to be able to talk to him again without worrying that Klaus would turn up. They walked around the grounds, and had a complete failure of a snowball fight using the light dusting of powder snow on the ground. And when he tackled her to the ground under the beech tree where they'd had their first kiss, she didn't complain one bit.

**XXX**

"Izbav."

"Umm...Cold?"

He shook his head. "Imagination."

She groaned. "I always fuck that one up."

"That's because 'cold' is 'Ivbaz'."

"No, I know. I just forget."

"Do you want to know how I remember?"

She raised an eyebrow. Klaus seemed to have trouble memorizing the runes, and would consistently get them wrong for a few rounds, and then suddenly he'd get every single one right. She couldn't figure out how he did it, and the opportunity to have a window into his mind was tempting.

"Sure."

He scooted towards her to push the flashcard over, his warmth radiating to her with his scent as he sat close to her.

"See how Ivbaz has small ridges on the edge? Like icebergs?"

"Yeah, I guess I can see that."

He smiled. "As long as I can remember the picture for each rune, I can usually remember what the definition is if I can relate it to the character. Izbav has the small spiral here, which I use to remember dreaming, which sort-of leads to imagination. You see?"

"Yeah," Caroline said slowly, privately thinking that it was incredibly smart.

Klaus seemed to have all these random study strategies that had to do with art, and it was so interesting to see how his mind worked.

Not that she'd say so out loud.

"I thought you were done with the project, gorgeous," Enzo said from behind her, making her flinch in surprise.

Klaus immediately scooted a foot or so away, which she felt made the situation look worse than it was, and she turned to see Enzo glaring at him.

"We're studying," she said, exasperated. "Will you please relax?"

"It's getting a bit ridiculous, mate, to be honest," Klaus added, causing Enzo and Caroline to turn and glare at him in tandem.

"No one asked your opinion, _mate,_" Enzo said.

"Oh my god, Enzo. Just stop," Caroline said.

She wasn't all that happy with Klaus's contribution to the conversation either, frankly, but she was sick of Enzo being rude.

"He's intruding on a private conversation."

"That's literally happening at the same table, and is about him," Caroline argued.

"Why are you defending him?"

"Because this is ridiculous."

"Well, I was hoping we could take a walk, but since you don't want to, I suppose I'll just go flying for a bit and clear my head."

"So now it's my fault?" Caroline practically screeched.

"I'll be back later," Enzo said, turning around and leaving the common room.

Caroline groaned. "He's being such a dick."

"You won't get an argument from me," Klaus mumbled, almost too quietly to be heard.

Caroline just rolled her eyes.

**XXX**

"Just break up with him," Liv said impatiently as she, Luke, Katherine, and Caroline spread themselves out on top of a fluffy rug Liv had conjured on the floor of a spare classroom to do homework.

"But we've been together so long...I don't want to have wasted my time…"

"You'll waste more time staying with him and trying to salvage what is clearly an epic failure of a relationship than by breaking up with him and taking some time for yourself," Luke said reasonably.

"I guess," Caroline mumbled, letting her book fall off of her stomach next to her, rubbing her palms over her face. "He's just...It was totally fine until he got ridiculously jealous of Klaus. I just don't get it."

Katherine huffed. "I've told you why, Caroline. It's not hard."

"Okay. Fine. So let's say that Klaus does like me–"

"Which he does," the twins cut her off, making Caroline roll her eyes.

"Whatever. Hypothetically, let's just say he does without comments from the peanut gallery. He hasn't asked me out. We had a project. We're studying together-Shut _up, _Liv."

"Sorry. I just don't get how you can not realize that asking to study with you is literally the oldest trick in the book."

"Oh, does Tyler ask you to study with him?"

"Don't change the subject," Liv muttered, flushing slightly.

"Oh, I sense progression in this relationship," Katherine said, grinning and scooting closer to the curly-haired blonde.

Liv rolled her eyes and sighed. "I told you I said yes to Hogsmeade. It's not a big deal."

"Of course it is," Luke said, shrugging and making a mark on some sort of plant diagram. "You caved. It's a big deal."

"I didn't _cave_."

"No, you just agreed to go out with him after a year and a half of pestering, three sets of carefully orchestrated joint detentions, and a broken nose."

Liv huffed. "Whatever. Back to Caroline and Enzo."

Caroline groaned. "Look, I just don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"Break up with him," Luke said firmly. "He's being a jealous ass."

"It's just because he cares–"

"Are you listening to yourself? Are you smelling this bullshit you're attempting to shovel?" Katherine asked, stopping her lazy conjurations of cups of increasingly intricate design and color to glare at Caroline.

"It could get better."

"Or you could be avoiding admitting that you're wrong, which is one of your favorite pastimes," Liv said as she adjusted the formula for the arithmancy project she was doing with Jane-Anne.

"Whatever," Caroline mumbled, knowing her friends were right, but not wanting to admit it.

Luke and Liv exchanged knowing looks and Katherine changed the subject. "So, want to explain the pepper-up potion to me? Because I don't get why the knarl claws have to go in before the knotgrass."

"Can you guys stay back?" Katherine asked about an hour later, motioning for Caroline and Liv to wait.

"Oh, are you kicking me out?" Luke asked, smiling slightly.

"Yep, vaginas only for this conversation," Katherine said cheerfully.

Luke made a face, but nodded, grabbing his books and leaving.

As soon as he'd shut the door behind him, Katherine rounded on Caroline. "I know you like Klaus."

"What? No, I don't."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Stop denying it. You were totally moaning his name in your sleep a week ago."

Caroline knew her face must look like a tomato, and she shook her head. "I wasn't."

"You had a sex dream about him, didn't you?" Katherine asked, with her usual brashness.

Liv was wearing a total cat-who-ate-the-canary smile at the sight of Caroline's expression. "Oh my god, you so were."

"Shut up," Caroline mumbled.

"Is that a yes?"

Caroline rolled her eyes and huffed, refusing to answer, which just made Katherine and Liv snicker. "Was it good?"

"It was a dream, of course it was," Caroline said without thinking before scrunching her eyes shut.

_Where can I buy a brain-to-mouth filter?_

Katherine screeched. "Now you have to break up with Enzo, Care."

"I was already going to," Caroline admitted, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "I just needed to try to talk myself out of it, I guess."

"Good. You and Klaus will make gorgeous babies," Katherine teased, timing it while Caroline took a sip from her water bottle, making Caroline splutter and cough.

"Oh my god, Katherine…"

"You love me," the other girl sang, grabbing her bag. "And you know we're right."

Caroline huffed, rolling her eyes. "Whatever."

**XXX**

"Hey, gorgeous. How are you?" Enzo asked, sitting next to her on the couch with the air of someone who knew that they were walking into a trap.

"Is being five thousand percent done with your jealous douchery a state of being? Because if so, I pick that," Caroline said coldly without looking up from her Transfiguration textbook.

Enzo winced.

It had only been two days since the incident with Klaus, and Caroline had been determinedly ignoring him.

"Can we take a walk?"

His shoulders slumped slightly, but he nodded. They walked through the sliding wall and down a few hallways.

She had been considering how to say her next words in great detail over the past forty-eight hours, and had come to the conclusion that there was no nice way to break-up with someone, so she might as well just rip off the bandaid.

"I don't think we should be together anymore," she said, not even attempting to tack on a reason at the end (he knew exactly why) or to reassure him that they'd remain friends (it would go one of two ways, and she wasn't going to promise anything).

"I thought you might say that."

"Well, you thought right."

They shared an awkward silence for a few moments, Caroline twisting her hands nervously while Enzo shuffled from foot to foot. "I guess I'll see you around, gorgeous."

She stuffed down the urge to tell him that of course he would because they lived in the same fucking dormitory, instead nodding and telling him she needed to go to the library (which they both knew was a complete absolute fucking _lie_ so that she could avoid walking back with him), and walking away.

Breakups almost always hurt, no matter who was breaking up with who or what the reason was. It was a fact of life. She knew that it had been necessary, but she still felt like she was closing a chapter in her life. Enzo had been really sweet, and she felt like it could have gone somewhere if he'd just stopped feeling so insecure. She'd _really _liked him.

There also was a small part of her that blamed Klaus. She knew it was ridiculous, since in her heart of hearts, she knew that she had a (not so) tiny crush on him, and since he really hadn't done anything wrong, but that didn't stop her from wishing her relationship with Enzo hadn't ended like it did.

Her steps felt heavy as she walked away, and she squeezed her eyes shut as she heard what might have been Enzo's breath catch from behind her. She almost wanted to turn around and go back. Honestly, she kind of already missed him.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd woken up in the morning without a good morning mobile message, or without looking forward to meeting him in the common room to walk down to the hall for breakfast. She knew she'd be fine. She didn't need a relationship to be happy, but it would have been nice…

She waited until she was around the corner and he was out of earshot before breaking into a run towards a spare classroom, closing the door behind her and sinking down onto a desk, letting herself cry.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading. What did we think about the Quidditch match? The breakup? Any predictions on how Klaroline will get together? How are we feeling about the political aspect of the story? Give me your feedback!  
Hugs!  
-Angie**


	7. Christmas

**A/N: I hope you like this chapter, and I'm sorry that it's a bit late.  
Thank you to Sophie, Wifey, and D for beta work.  
Enjoy!  
-Angie**

* * *

_Are These Children Really Our Future?_

_by Rita Skeeter, Staff Society Writer_

_It is common knowledge that many of the next generation of ICW representatives are currently enrolled in, or have just graduated from, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. _

_However, are these youngsters capable of leading the Wizarding World into the modern era? With heirs to the seats like Nadia Petrova, who was arrested for the fourth time this year only a number of weeks ago and Jamie Wilson, who has been seen with more women in the past year than most people are in their entire lives, do we have any hope for progression in our culture?_

_There are over ten future seat occupants currently at Hogwarts, including the younger sisters of Nadia Petrova (Tatia, Elena, and Katerina), four of the five Mikaelson children, and Caroline Forbes. _

_At the beginning of the month, it was discovered that Miss Forbes was in a relationship with Lorenzo Augustine, a half-blood attending Hogwarts. However, it has now been reported that they have split up after a long-running disagreement, and that she may be willing to fall into the arms of another. Does Miss Forbes's indecisiveness speak of a larger problem? How will she handle the pressures of such an important position?_

_Read more on page 3B_

**XXX**

Caroline was jerked awake by an obnoxious beeping, and groped her nightstand blindly, finally locating her mobile floo and flicking the latch to answer it. "Hello?" she asked, half-yawning.

"Caroline?"

Caroline nearly lost the battle not to groan aloud at her mother's voice, instead sitting up to grab her wand off the bedside table and wave it, doing a non-verbal tempus charm.

"Do you _know_ what time it is?" Caroline asked irritably, forgoing a greeting.

"Six o'clock. Did I wake you up?"

"Yes, of course you woke me up. I don't have to be up until seven at the earliest," Caroline said, running a hand through her hair. "What do you want, Mom?"

"Your father told me that you might not be coming home for Christmas."

"Oh, he was wrong."

"Was he?" Liz asked, sounding slightly hopeful.

"I'm _definitely _not coming home for Christmas."

"Caroline…"

"What?"

"We all miss you. We'd love to see you."  
"Who's 'we', exactly? Dad and Steven? Because they literally saw me less than a month ago."

"And me."

"Funny you should say that, Mom, since you didn't bother coming to my Quidditch match _or _seeing me off at the platform _or _writing me _at all_ so far this term, and it's almost _break_."

"Caroline, being the Director of Magical Safety is a–"

"Very demanding job, I know. But you'd think that you might have a half hour here or there to give me a call."

"Caroline, don't be like that."

"Like what? Don't have reasonable expectations?"

Her mother sighed on the other end of the line. "I saw the newspaper article," she said, changing the subject.

"Oh. Great."

"Rita had no right to do that."

Caroline felt a tug of affection for her mom, and smiled slightly. "Thanks."

"Just because she's written terrible things doesn't mean you can't come home, you know. I'm sure if I told your grandmother very firmly she wouldn't say anything. I know that she's a big fan of Rita, but–"

Caroline rolled her eyes and cut her mother off. "Look, I'm not coming home for Christmas because I don't want to deal with the ICW stuff, okay? Nothing you say is going to change that. To answer the questions you're about to ask me so that I can get off of the phone and go back to sleep: My classes are going fine, Enzo and I broke up, no, I don't want to talk about it, and thank you for checking up on me, goodbye."

Caroline flipped the switch on her mobile before Liz could respond and hit the button to put it on silent, and dropped it on her bedside table before rolling over and covering her head with her pillow.

**XXX**

"I think the write-up looks good," Klaus said, rereading the parchment Caroline had given him.

They were putting the final touches on their project, and really all that was left was the formal research essay to go along with the notes. Caroline had written the rough draft, and Klaus had volunteered to do the final draft of it.

"Thanks. Will you have it done in time?"

He nodded, putting the sheaf of parchment in his bag and turning to Caroline, opening his mouth to say something before seeming to change his mind.

"What?"

"I-I'm sorry. About Augustine."

"Why?"

"Because if I hadn't antagonized him–"

"Don't," she interrupted. "His behavior is his own fault."

Klaus nodded, looking a properly chastened. "Right, then."

They stood there awkwardly for a second before Klaus excused himself, hoisting his bag over his shoulder, turning to leave.

"Wait, let me walk with you," Caroline said, gathering her things.

He raised an eyebrow, but waited for her, and they set off together down the halls.

"I liked working with you," Caroline said.

"I liked working with you as well."

They walked in a comfortable silence, their hands swinging by their sides. Caroline nearly flinched as her knuckles brushed against his, but managed to remain casual, fighting down her blush.

She needed to get over this crush, and fast. It was not going to do her any favors.

**XXX**

"I hope you have a good break, Care," Katherine said, giving her a hug.

"You too."

Katherine made a face. "You're lucky that you got to stay behind. You do realize that I'm going to spend an entire fucking week in France for the annual ICW party and committee meetings and all that bullshit watching Elena and Stefan make goo-eyes at each other, right?"

"That's why I stayed here. You should have signed up for it."

"I couldn't," Katherine snapped before wincing at Caroline's surprised face and taking a deep breath. "Sorry. I just have to visit Nadia. You know."

"Right, sorry," Caroline said, inwardly kicking herself at her thoughtless comment.

"It's fine. Write me, okay?"

"I will."

Katherine gave her another hug before giving her an uncharacteristically serious look. "I know the past month has been kind of rough, but it'll get better. Rita will get bored and move on. And anyway, anyone who's talked to you for more than ten seconds knows that you'll be a great ICW member."

"Well, you know my motto. If people tell me I can't do something, I prove them wrong," Caroline said airily, fixing her scarf around her neck.

"Okay. You can't date Klaus Mikaelson," Katherine said, her voice equally casual.

Caroline didn't even dignify that with an answer.

"Good_bye_, Kat."

**XXX**

_Hey Care,_

_I hope you're having a good break so far. We just got to France for the ICW event, and it's terrible. You should be glad you didn't come. The food is horrible this year._

_Rep. Mikaelson made some awful speech about the legislation. Apparently it's going to a vote at the beginning of February. I'm sure there will be a bunch of news about it, but I just thought I'd give you a heads up._

_You should know that almost no one believes what Rita wrote about you in the Prophet. She's a gossip and highly annoying, though she does tend to have grains of truth scattered in her stories to make them just plausible enough to be not entirely fictional._

_Don't worry, I don't think Klaus has noticed._

_Luke and Mom say hi. _

_Love,_

_Liv_

–

_Dear Liv,_

_Well, at least that's one thing that Hogwarts has on literally everywhere else. Food. _

_And yes, I'm glad I didn't come. I don't think I could stand it, to be honest. Everyone's so stuffy and passive-aggressive._

_I saw the article about the speech in the paper. He made it sound like he was doing the world a favor. He's such a douche. _

_If it goes to a vote at the beginning of February that means we have a few months to campaign. I don't know how it'll go, but I feel like we have to try._

_Thank god no one believes Skeeter. I don't know why she's picking on me of all people. I'm really not all that interesting._

_If you say one more word about Klaus, I will personally make sure that you ingest poison._

_Any plans for after the ICW conference? Tell Luke and your Mom (and everyone else) hi back._

_Love,_

_Caroline_

–

_Hey Care,_

_Hogwarts basically has everywhere beat with food. It's not really a fair competition._

_Campaign? What are we going to do? I'm not sure if anything can help._

_Of course no one believes Skeeter! That woman is such a cunt._

_And don't threaten me. We wouldn't want to start an international incident now, would we? I'm the Ambassador's daughter._

_No, I don't think we have plans besides spending time at home with the extended family. _

_Hope everything's okay on your end!_

_Love,_

_Liv_

–

_Liv,_

_I wasn't threatening you. Even if I was, it wouldn't start an international incident. You're from Canada. Your people don't get angry._

_Love,_

_Care_

–

_Care,_

_Clearly you have never met my father. Or my brother._

_Also, stereotyping is terrible and uncalled for._

_You're a bitch (but I love you anyway)._

_Love,_

_Liv_

**XXX**

After a good five hours of tossing and turning, Caroline pushed herself out of bed, taking a glance out the window at the full moon. She just hadn't been able to get comfortable. Yawning, she decided that she might as well go sit in the common room and read, if only to hopefully tire herself out a bit. She grabbed a robe and her wand, as well as a book, and walked down the stone steps, happy that most people being home meant that she pretty much had the room to herself.

She sunk down on the couch and curled up to read. She heard the wall slide and looked up to see Klaus walking in, looking tired. She frowned. "You okay?"

He looked startled to see her, but seemed to recover quickly. "Yes, love. I'm fine. You're up early."

"Couldn't sleep," she said, shrugging. "Where were you? If you don't mind me asking, I mean."

"Just out for a walk," he said.

She frowned. Out for a walk? She'd been in the common room for at least three hours. Who takes a walk in the middle of the night?

"Right. Well, I'll see you at breakfast, I guess," she said slowly.

Klaus nodded, moving past her to the staircase and walking up.

There must be a reasonable explanation for him to be out that late. And no matter how curious she was, it wasn't any of her business. She just had to remind herself of that.

Sighing, she walked up to her own dormitory to shower, spending a bit too long under the spray so that when she came out her skin was pruney.

She felt rejuvenated though, despite her lack of sleep, and she grabbed her bag to head down to breakfast.

Klaus was already there when she arrived, reading the Prophet, and he looked up and nodded in greeting as she sat across from him at the table, not saying anything, before turning back to the paper.

Caroline bit her lip as she watched Klaus eat out of the corner of her eye. He looked exhausted. His face was pale, and he had small bags under his eyes. She had noticed that he sporadically seemed tired, and tried to remember when the last time was. The term was over, so there wasn't a reason to be stressed, unless it being almost Christmas was a source of it (which actually was very likely, considering the rest of his siblings had gone home and he hadn't).

The last time had been just around when the project was due-after they'd turned it in, really-which was about a month ago. The time before that was the month before when they were about to turn in their first draft, and the time before that almost exactly a month before that when they got the detention…And Klaus had talked about his father backing the anti-werewolf legislation.

Mikael seemed to hate Klaus, and he was campaigning for werewolves to lose basic human rights. Klaus seemed almost resigned to it…

It dawned on her just as he looked up at her to see her staring. He raised a confused eyebrow at her before taking another bite of his oatmeal.

Klaus was a werewolf.

**XXX**

Caroline woke up on Christmas morning to a large pile of presents at the end of her bed. She grabbed a robe and pulled it around herself, tying it tightly, and stuffed her feet into slippers. Smiling, she began to gather the gifts into a large bag to take down the stairs to the common room, sticking her mobile floo and wand in one of her pockets.

She and Klaus had agreed to open their presents together, along with a second year girl, who was the only other Slytherin staying at Hogwarts for break.

She'd decided not to say anything about her werewolf theory, mostly because it was an incredibly personal thing and she didn't want to intrude. She had decided that if he didn't bring it up, she wasn't going to. He deserved some privacy.

When she arrived in the common room, Klaus was already on one of the cushioned couches by the Christmas tree, fully dressed, apparently doodling in a sketchbook. He looked up when she entered, giving her a dimpled smile, and she put her presents down on the carpet as she sunk down onto it.

"Where's Daisy?" Caroline asked curiously.

"I don't know, love. She hasn't come down yet. You could go check on her, if you'd like. She seems to be taking staying here pretty hard."

Caroline sighed and got up again. "All right. I'll be right back."

She moved up the stairs to the second year girls' dormitory and knocked softly on the door. "Daisy? You there?"

The girl opened the door after some rustling around, and Caroline took one look at her red-rimmed eyes and immediately pulled her into a hug. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I just miss them," the girl said miserably, referring to her parents, who were apparently on some sort of trip.

"I'm sorry," Caroline said, rocking the girl back and forth as she gave into her tears. "Maybe you can floo them later."

Daisy nodded, still sniffling. "Why don't we grab your presents and head down to the common room?"

"Okay."

Caroline helped the little girl gather her things, and they walked down together.

Daisy ripped her presents open eagerly as Klaus and Caroline fought down smiles at her enthusiasm. She'd received a few toys and books, and the girl seemed to be happy with her gifts.

Klaus was next, and he worked through his more slowly. His siblings had each gotten him art supplies-making Caroline suspect that there was more to his sketching than simply something he did in class-and he thanked her politely for the new set of elbow pads that she'd gotten him (having noticed that his were a bit frayed). She did notice there was nothing from his parents.

Though she'd never exactly spoken to Mikael, she couldn't help but strongly dislike him already.

Klaus and Daisy teased her good naturedly as she carefully peeled the wrapping paper off the gifts to keep it intact, and Caroline was happy with the new clothes from her friends, and the book from her father and Steven. Her mother had gotten her a nice sundress, and Caroline recognized that she really was trying hard (not that it made her any more likely to reach out).

Klaus and the other Mikaelson siblings had apparently pitched in again for a present, since they'd all signed the card, and when she opened it, she found a book on spell creation.

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome, love."

They shared a smile, and Daisy stood up. "I'm hungry," she announced.

"Let's go to breakfast then, shall we?"

**XXX**

_Dear Kat,_

_Thank you so much for the earrings. They're really pretty. Tell Elena thanks as well._

_I hope everything's going okay at home. Has your Aunt Amara started telling you crazy stories about immortality myths yet?_

_Any good ones?_

_Now that Christmas is over, there's really not much to do. Klaus and I are basically stuck here alone (wipe that look off your face, Kat. I know it's there) with a second year named Daisy, and all three of us are bored out of our skulls._

_How's Nadia? I hope she's feeling a bit better, and I hope that you're okay, too._

_Say hi to your Mom and Dad for me (and Elena, Tatia, and Nadia)._

_Love,_

_Caroline_

–

_Hey Care,_

_So glad to FINALLY hear from you._

_You're welcome. Thank you for the shoes, they're great. Elena said thanks for the new journal. _

_Everything's mostly fine. Elena and Stefan were (as expected) completely unable to keep their hands off each other for the entire conference. Now that he's gone it's a bit easier, though. _

_Tatia is writing someone all the time, and I hear her giggling at night. I think she might be back together with Elijah (obviously don't tell anyone though)._

_Aunt Amara is as crazy as ever. This time she told us a bunch of myths about doppelgangers. Apparently they're the physical manifestation of the same person born every hundred years or something. I know, it's nuts. I don't know where she gets this stuff._

_Not as crazy as when she said that vampires could also be witches, though. _

_Stuck with Klaus? There are worse fates. I'm sure you two are getting along just fine. _

_I know that you keep blowing me and Liv off about it, but I just want to say that the only reason we're pushing so hard for Klaus is because he clearly makes you happy. If you really, honestly don't want to date him (or you just want us to shut the fuck up), just say the word and we will. I promise._

_I'm sorry you're bored, though. You could always play gobstones or snap, and if that fails, there's always chess or the library. You could always ask Klaus to teach you how to draw…_

_Okay, sorry, that was the last one, I swear._

_Anyway, Nad's fine (or as fine as she can be, anyway). She's been getting better, apparently. The healer told her to write down all of her feelings in a journal (like Elena does). What kind of sentimental idiot writes down everything they feel?_

_Whatever. It might be working. Nad says she's fine and 'dealing with it' (and I heard her 'dealing with it' the second night we stayed there when she yelled at one of the nurses, but whatever, you gotta do what you gotta do). I don't know. Hopefully it'll get better._

_Everyone says 'hi' back._

_Tell me if anything else happens. Especially with Klaus._

_-Kat_

–

_Dear Kat,_

_I'm sorry that I didn't write sooner. I know that I suck, okay?_

_You're welcome. They were tall and slutty, so I thought they were your style. I'm glad I was right. And tell Elena that it was no problem. I'm glad she liked it._

_I'm sorry about Elena and Stefan. I know it sucks, but just power through, okay? There are wayyyy more fish in the sea. Aren't you seeing Mason later this break?_

_Interesting. Didn't Tatia say that they were never getting back together? Something about him being a boring waste of oxygen. I can't believe he's taking her back. That seems like a terrible idea._

_Your Aunt is hilarious. Doppelgangers? Whatever. Remember that one time she talked about the witch-vampire-werewolf baby? I don't think anything could ever top that._

_Klaus and I are getting along fine. I know that you and Liv (and Luke) really think it would be a good idea, but I don't know._

_I like him a lot, but I just got out of the thing with Enzo, and Skeeter is already writing all this shit about me in the paper. I don't need more of that, you know?_

_Maybe later? I don't know. I just wish everything wasn't so messed up right now._

_Neither of us have a gobstone set, and I'm pretty sure he'd kick my ass at snap. I guess we could play tarot wars, but we'd need a deck for it (hint hint). _

_And no, I'm not going to ask him to teach me to draw. Thanks for the suggestion, though._

_I'm sorry about Nad. I wish there was something I could do. Let me know if I can?_

_And journaling isn't sentimental or idiotic. There have been studies done by Muggles AND the Department of Mysteries that show that it helps with emotional regulation._

_That poor nurse, though. Your sister has some really good lungs._

_I'll keep you posted._

_Love,_

_Caroline_

–

_Care,_

_You do. You totally suck. Also, they aren't slut heels. They're sex heels. There's a difference. _

_Even if they weren't, I wouldn't mind being a slut if it was actually true. I feel like having three guys isn't quite slut-level yet. Once I get there, though, feel free to paste that label._

_Yes, Mason and I are seeing each other in a week or so. Liv will be there too. I think we're going to double-date or something. I'm leaving her in charge of the details._

_I do feel bad for Elijah. My sister's a manipulative bitch, and I don't know what anyone's thinking when they come anywhere near her by choice. At this point, I'm pretty sure that Nadia's my favorite sister (and I agree on the lung bit, by the way)._

_Aunt Amara is batshit. I don't think we need to go any further than that._

_Yes, I do think you dating Klaus would be a good idea. I think he makes you happy. It's also been an entire month since Enzo, and I'm pretty sure you were over him before you even broke up. He won't wait around forever, though. _

_As for Rita, no one believes her anyway. Liv and I were totally talking about this the other week. Everyone knows that she's full of shit._

_You have no excuse, Forbes (unless you just don't want to date him, in which case it's your loss)!_

_Especially since you know what they say about artists' hands…_

_And yes, I'm very aware of the studies._

_I've enclosed a tarot deck. Don't lose it or spill anything on it._

_-Kat_

**XXX**

"Jester," Caroline said triumphantly, laying the card down and taking the small pile of knuts from the center of the table.

"And she wins again," Klaus said tiredly, laying his cards face down on the table and rubbing his eyes with his palms.

"Do you want to do something else where you might have a chance of winning?" Caroline asked teasingly.

"There really isn't much else to do," Klaus pointed out, wriggling his fingers for Caroline's cards, which he then shuffled into the deck before he dealt another hand.

"I guess not."

They played for a bit longer (Caroline winning every single round besides the second-to-last), before Caroline had an idea.

"Let's play Pictionary. You might have a chance of beating me with that."

"You can't play Pictionary with two people," he pointed out, and she shrugged, conceding the point.

"Fine, something else then."

"We can play Battleship?"

"The Muggle game?" Caroline asked, a bit surprised. "Doesn't that require a board or something?"

"Not necessarily," Klaus said, conjuring two wooden slanted blocks with a wave of his wand and grabbing two pieces of parchment.

He tapped each of them once to create grids, and gave her a quill. "You have five ships. One has two squares, two have three squares, one has four squares, and one has five. You need to mark on your map where they are. We take turns guessing the coordinates on the other's board, and if we get it right, then you put an X through it. You need to hit all the squares with the ships to win."

Caroline nodded and bit her lip, staring down at the parchment to decide where to put her ships. She drew the rectangles carefully, putting her quill down when she was ready and look at him expectantly.

They had four rounds of misses before Klaus scored the first hit, and after a few random guesses, he quickly took down all of her ships after that before she could take out more than one of his.

"How did you do that?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Putting them in a pattern seemed like something you'd do, so I went with it."

She glared at him. "Am I really that predictable?"

He just gave her a small smile. "No, actually. You're one of the least predictable people I know."

"Is that a bad thing?" she asked, smirking.

"Not at all. It just makes you all the more interesting."

His tone was light, but there was a seriousness in his gaze that made warmth bloom in her chest. She cleared up the parchments as quickly as possible, trying to get away from the situation.

She told herself over and over again that she couldn't act on her feelings (now that she'd admitted they existed). Rita Skeeter would tear her apart.

_But then again,_ she thought, _when did she ever care what anyone thought of her?_

**XXX**

"God, I'm bored," Caroline complained.

She and Klaus were sitting on the couches in the common room, both trying and failing to become absorbed in their respective tasks.

"Would you like to go flying? You're trying out for the team next year, right?"

"I don't know about trying out for the team, but sure, that sounds fun. Let me just grab my broom."

He shook his head. "It's fine. You can use Rebekah's. The team keeps our brooms in the shed, you know that."

"Are you sure she won't mind?"

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her," Klaus said, grabbing her hand to tug her towards the common room entrance.

His hand was warm and firm as it closed around hers, and she found that she didn't want him to drop it.

It had been over a month since she'd broken up with Enzo, and she'd been happy. It was freeing to not have to answer to anyone, and she felt like she was a lot less stressed.

Being with Enzo hadn't exactly been difficult, at least until the end of their relationship, but there hadn't been much passion, and he hadn't been very interesting to spend time with.

Klaus, though...Spending time with him wasn't easy, but he was smart and funny and he _listened_, and she liked that. She liked him.

Almost as if he could read her thoughts, they arrived at the front doors and he dropped her hand, looking away uncomfortably. She hoped that the pink of her cheeks could pass for cold, and they walked together through the snow, Caroline casting a warming charm around them and searched around for something to talk about that wouldn't be a sore subject.

"Are you excited for Arithmancy next semester?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I suppose I am. We'll be doing more complicated spell creation, which should be interesting."

"I already have so many plans for the individual creation project."

He snorted. "Of course you do, you're you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked indignantly, though she couldn't keep the smile off of her face.

He shrugged. "Nothing. I don't know. You're Caroline Forbes. I feel like you could probably force the Minister of Magic to follow a color-coded schedule if you felt like it. I'm sure you already have the entire thing sectioned out and written in your planner."

She couldn't stop herself from laughing. "Maybe. But that's just how I get things done. Unlike _some _people who just do everything at the last possible minute."

"What works, works. And anyway, it's not like I need all that much time. Homework's easy enough."

"Oh is it?" she asked teasingly. "Someone's got a big head."

He shrugged. "Takes one to know one, I suppose."

Caroline rolled her eyes as they got to the Quidditch pitch and he led her to the broomshed, handing over Rebekah's broom. "I am not arrogant."

"No, but you're competitive."

"Fine, yeah, I'll give you that one."

He smirked. "Want to make flying more interesting?"

She gave him a wary look. "I don't know, what would it involve?"

He grinned, bending down to scoop some snow off the pitch. "A snowball fight?" Caroline asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A _flying _snowball fight."

She gave him an assessing look and nodded. "Okay. Fine."

He grinned and swung a leg over his broom, preparing to kick off. She did the same and had to duck as he shot off into the air, pitching a snowball at her before zooming away. She bent down to make a snowball and kicked off to follow him, pitching it at him when she got close enough, which he dived down to dodge.

The next hour was filled with laughter and trash-talk as they chased each other around the pitch, and Caroline was breathing hard by the end. "Do you want to take a break?" she shouted to Klaus, who was quite a ways down the pitch.

"Sure."

They landed and Caroline stumbled slightly as she got off of her broom, Klaus putting a hand on her shoulder to steady her. "Careful," he said, smirking slightly. "Wouldn't want to fall."

She rolled her eyes and pushed him, giggling as he lost his balance and fell into the snow before shrieking as he grabbed her ankle to pull her down as well, both of them letting out harsh breaths as she landed half on top of him.

"Seriously?" she asked, pushing off the ground so that she could move to get up. "It's not nice to trip people on purpose."

"I'm not nice," he said dryly, holding fast to her so that she couldn't get up, and she glared at him.

"Let me up before I hex you," she said, before realizing the position that they were in.

His eyes were sparkling as he smirked at her, and she felt his chest moving as he breathed under her palms, which were resting there to keep her balanced. One of his hands was on the small of her back, applying gentle pressure just to keep her where she was, and her breath caught as the other slowly moved up her back to her head, lazily twisting her blonde curls between his fingers.

"Are you sure you want me to let you up?" he asked, his voice slightly husky.

"No," she breathed.

They laid there silently for what felt to Caroline like hours, though it was probably only seconds, while they both processed her answer. His eyes darkened as they scanned her face, and she felt her breath catch at the almost predatory gleam in them.

"Isn't this the part where you're supposed to kiss me?" she teased.

"Do you want me to?"

She bit her lip, trying to recall the reason-because she was _sure _that there had to be one-that she hadn't given in before, and she just couldn't remember.

"Yes."

* * *

**A/N: The next chapter should start directly after this one in terms of the timeline. :P  
How do we feel about Caroline and her mom? Christmas? Caroline's discovery? Were we happy about that last scene? ;)  
Let me know your thoughts!  
Hugs!  
-Angie**


	8. Mountains and Forests

**A/N: This chapter is really long, and it picks up right where the last one left off. I hope that makes up for the slightly-evil cliffhanger and the long wait last time.  
Thank you to Sophie, D, and Wifey for beta-work.  
Hugs!  
-Angie**

* * *

His lips were soft and warm against hers, and she adjusted her leg slightly, moving to straddle him to get a bit more comfortable (having previously been half on top of him). His hand clutched the back of her sweater, the other tangling in her hair, both applying gentle pressure to keep her where she was.

He bit and sucked her bottom lip, tugging it between his teeth, before thrusting his tongue into her mouth. Caroline sighed against his lips, and his hand crept under the hem of her sweater, stroking the skin of her back under her blouse.

She pulled away and they stared at each other for a few seconds. His eyes were bright, his lips slightly puffy from her kisses, and she gave him a huge smile, which he returned before pulling her back down to claim her lips again.

She moaned, and she felt his cock twitch against her inner thigh as she pulled away again, and smirked at him. "You liked that?" she teased, rolling her hips against him.

He rolled his eyes. "Obviously. You need to move though, love."

"Why?"

"Because something tells me that you have no intention of following through, and I don't want blue balls when we're walking back up to castle. I also don't want my clothes to be soaked through with snow."

Her lips twitched (because he was right), and she obligingly rolled off of him, giggling. He got to his feet and offered her a hand to help her up, which she took. "We need to put the brooms away and lock the shed," he said, picking up his.

She grabbed Rebekah's broom off the ground and walked beside him, smiling as he took her hand. He was clearly attempting to be casual about it, and she fought down a laugh as she squeezed his hand reassuringly.

He had to drop her hand to unlock the broom shed (which was more like a small classroom with broom slots for every player). After carefully replacing their brooms in the correct slots, they walked out of the shed to the castle, and grabbing Klaus' hand in hers, lacing their fingers together, felt like the most natural thing in the world.

"Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me on Saturday?"

"It's not a Hogsmeade weekend is it?" Caroline asked, before adding, "but if that extends to the nearest Hogsmeade weekend in the future, then yes, I'd love to."

"Who said it had to be a Hogsmeade weekend?" he asked, smirking.

She gave him a suspicious look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just answer the question, love."

She bit her lip. It was New Year's Eve on Saturday, which meant that the staff wouldn't really be around to notice.

"Would we be sneaking out?"

He just smirked at her, and she sighed.

"We've only been dating for about twenty minutes and you're already being a bad influence," she mumbled.

"Are we dating?" he asked, giving her an innocent look.

She snorted. "What else do you call 'taking me out on a date'?"

"Fair enough. Does that mean you're coming?"

"Fine. But if we get caught, it's on you."

"We won't," he said confidently before muttering the password to the Slytherin common room entrance. "So we're dating, then?"

"As we just established, yes."

He turned and kissed her, pulling her flush against him, and she moaned into his mouth, tangling her fingers in his hair, relishing in his warmth around her.

He pulled back, his hands on her waist, and smirked. "I've wanted to do that for ages."

"Well, now you can."

**XXX**

_Dear Kat,_

_I took your advice._

_He's so sweet. He's taking me out this weekend for New Year's Eve. I'll tell you all about it when you get back._

_I hope everything's good on your end. See you soon._

_Love,_

_Caroline_

_.-._

_You're Welcome._

_-Kat_

**XXX**

"Are you sure this is safe?" Caroline asked, her nose wrinkling as the statue in front of them sunk into the stone floor to reveal a passage.

"Since I've used it many times, I'd assure you that it is. Are you coming?" he asked, his broom slung over his shoulder.

She took his hand and let him lead her into the tunnel, both of them lighting their wands so that they could see in the darkness. She had thought, when she'd seen him, that he was taking her for a broom ride (cliché, but admittedly cute). However, walking through a dark tunnel didn't exactly scream "romantic flying date."

They got to a set of stairs and she frowned at him, but he just smiled and unlocked the trap door above them, climbing through and then helping her up as well.

He held her hand as he led her down the street towards the large gathering of people in the town square, but she was surprised when he didn't lead her towards them, instead turning off to a side street.

"What are we doing here?" she asked, looking around the alleyway. He just smiled and mounted his broom. She frowned, but obligingly sat behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist, his body heat warming her as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Don't get too comfortable. It's a short ride," he said, kicking off.

They flew toward a rocky mountain just outside of Hogsmeade, and he landed just outside the entrance to a small cave, conjuring a blanket before dismounting and sinking down onto it. She sat with him, smiling when he put an arm around her to pull her into his side. "The fireworks should go off in about an hour. We'll have a good view from here."

"Okay. What are we going to do in the meantime?"

_He didn't expect sex, did he? It was a bit early in their relationship for that. _

She felt her heart start to speed up, and he turned to look at her, smirking slightly. "I just had our elf pack up a picnic basket. She should be here in a bit. I brought a jar for bluebell flames," he said, pulling out a small glass jar and setting it in front of them, murmuring the incantation and quickly trapping the blue flame in the jar with the lid before setting it in front of them.

"You really thought this through," she said, slightly impressed as she moved the jar a bit closer to keep warm.

"I was going to bring a pillow too so that we could stargaze while we waited, but I didn't want you to get the wrong idea and think I was pressuring you."

She let her mouth fall open in surprise before hurriedly shaking it off. "Wow. You _really _thought it through."

He shrugged. "It was my one chance, I didn't want to muck it up."

She turned to look at him. "Your one chance? Is that what you thought?"

"You didn't particularly like me up until the project."

"Yeah, but I like you now," she pointed out. "And now that you've made it clear that you don't want to have sex with me, you can go ahead and conjure that pillow. I don't want to sit on rock for an hour."

He smirked (and was clearly about to make some sort of sexual innuendo, but thought better of it) and obligingly waved his wand, conjuring a large pillow, which he leaned back onto, and she followed him, though she curled into him a bit more, relishing in his warmth, her head neatly tucked into the crook of his neck.

"I really do like you," she said quietly. "I think I have for a while."

She felt him smile as he slid an arm under her body around her back. "I have for quite awhile as well."

"I should hope you like yourself," she teased.

"Well, that too, _obviously_. But I've liked you since the end of fourth year."

"Going to elaborate?"

"No," he said, and she looked up to see him giving her a dimpled smile. "Maybe another time."

"Oh, it's embarrassing then?"

"Only slightly."

She laughed and turned slightly to look back up at the sky. "What are we going to do when people get back?"

"Are you worried about what will happen when people know we're together?" he asked, sounding a bit hurt.

"No, no. Of course not," she hastened to reassure him. "I didn't mean it like that. But you're not going to let this affect our chances for the cup, right?"

He snorted. "I don't think a thestral-spearheaded apocalypse could stop us from winning the Quidditch cup."

She laughed with him, and then changed the subject to Professional Quidditch, smirking slightly when she realized that he thought she didn't follow a team.

They then had a half-hour long in-depth discussion about the merits of the Harpies versus Puddlemere. Caroline had known that Klaus knew Quidditch as a game, but hadn't known that he knew as much about the business side of it.

"So, you're saying that Puddlemere is about to retire _Oliver Wood_?" Caroline asked in complete disbelief. "There's no way. He's been on the team practically since he graduated Hogwarts."

"I didn't say retire, I said transfer. No, no, hear me out. He's been with the team for _ages_, and he's an excellent player, but he's also getting on in years. The Chasers are at their peak, which means that they have the time to train up the reserve. It would be better in terms of timing to either move Wood to the reserve spot or to start training a Keeper when they have the team structure to do so. Now, the issue is that reserve Keepers don't normally play, and Wood is a _very _good player, so–"

"So they want to trade him to a team in need of a Keeper so they can get a draft pick out of it," Caroline finished, nodding. "That makes sense."

He smirked, looking up when a house-elf popped in, a picnic basket in its arms.

"Young Master Niklaus is asking Penny for food for him and his Forbes."

Klaus winced, but relaxed when Caroline giggled quietly.

"Penny is bringing butterbeer and young Master's favorite chocolate biscuits. Is young Master being happy with Penny's choices?'

"Yes, thanks, Penny."

"Penny is being asked to come back at midnight?"

"That would be good. Thank you."

Penny nodded and popped away, leaving a small basket behind.

"Your Forbes, huh?"

"Well, I asked her to bring dinner for me and a friend, and she knows you," Klaus said awkwardly.

Caroline shrugged. "It's fine, it was just kind of funny, is all. Your elf is very no-nonsense, isn't she?" Caroline asked, smiling slightly. "Ours is very excitable."

"You kind of have to be no-nonsense in our house. There are too many of us not to be, and she's our only elf."

Caroline nodded, taking a cookie from the tin in the basket. "That makes sense," she said before she bit into the cookie and let her eyes flutter closed. "This is _really _good."

He nodded, taking one for himself and offering her a butterbeer as he chewed, which she took, and they sat there eating cookies and drinking their butterbeers for awhile, waiting for the fireworks to start.

They had gotten there around 10:45, and Caroline waved her wand to see that it was 11:50.

"It's almost time."

He nodded. "Did you make any New Year's resolutions?" he asked curiously.

She shrugged. "Not really. I kind of feel like if I want to have a goal I should just do it. Waiting until New Year's sort of just lets you procrastinate, doesn't it?"

He laughed quietly. "I suppose."

"Did you?" she asked.

"Oh, because your view on them would make me so keen to tell you," he said dryly.

"Hey, no. Spill," she said, nudging him with her elbow.

She let out a small shriek of surprise when he grabbed her and pulled her on top of him, kissing her slowly, his tongue running along her bottom lip. She moaned, opening her mouth to him, and he ran his hands down her back before she pulled away, breathing hard.

"Nice attempt at a distraction, but you're telling me," she breathed.

He smirked. "I already accomplished mine. I think I'll have to make a new one."

She frowned. "What, kissing me?"

He shook his head. "Getting up the nerve to asking you to go on a date with me."

"Oh."

He gave her a dimpled smile, which she returned before moving to kiss him again. They both stilled when they heard the group of people in the plaza faintly counting down from ten, but Caroline quickly took the opportunity to bite down gently on his lip and roll her hips against him. He groaned and flipped them over so that he was on top, moving to kiss down her jawline to her neck, licking and nipping lightly at her skin.

They barely registered the first few loud explosions of the fireworks, but Klaus rolled off of her soon enough, pulling her to his chest.

Once they were over and Penny had come to retrieve the basket, Klaus mounted his broom again, and motioned for her to get on. "If you don't mind, I'd like to fly us back to the broom shed and then we can take the passage closest to the common room," he said quietly. "It's a bit late to walk all the way from the sixth floor to the dungeons."

"There's a passage near the common room?"

"Yes."

She gave him a suspicious look, but nodded. "Yeah, that's fine. But why didn't we take that passage in the first place, then?"

He smirked. "You'll see."

She gave him a playful glare, but mounted the broom behind him. He waited until she had wrapped her arms securely around his waist to kick off, and they soared together through the air before he landed on the ground right outside the broomshed. He quickly secured it into its hook and let her disillusion both of them before she followed him to a wall near the back of the castle. He scanned the side of the building before tapping a stone that had a carving of a snake on it, and the wall simply melted to the ground, leaving an archway for them to walk through.

The stones rebuilt themselves behind them as they walked into the darkness, and Klaus threw out a hand to stop her from walking forward.

"What?"

"Just wait a moment," he said, and she heard him pull out his wand and light it.

In front of them was a steep stone slide, and she gave him a disbelieving look.

"It's completely safe, love. I promise. Shall we go together?"

She gave him a small smile and dropped to the ground with him, both of their legs dangling onto the slide. Klaus grabbed her hand and extinguished his wand. "Don't want it to get snapped," he explained as she heard the rustling of him putting it away. "All right. Ready, sweetheart?"

She smiled at the nickname and nodded, before realizing that he couldn't see her.

"Yeah. Ready."

He pushed off, tugging her down with him, and she laughed as they zoomed down the slide, a light opening up in the distance at the end of the tunnel.

They fell through the wall above the fireplace of the common room before they floated to the ground. Caroline heard a click and turned around to see the portrait of the cobra that hung above the fireplace snapping back into place.

She turned back to Klaus, who was grinning at her reaction. "Fun?" he asked.

"Yeah. I had a lot of fun, Klaus," she said, smiling.

"Me too."

She cupped his face in her palms and kissed him slowly, languidly, their movements becoming more heated as his arms encircled her waist, pulling her to press against him, and she sighed softly as his fingertips stroked the skin of her back under her sweater.

They pulled away for air, both of their breathing ragged and short, and Caroline gave him a huge smile. "Breakfast at eight?"

"I'll meet you in the common room," he confirmed, kissing her softly again. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight," she said quietly, before walking up the stairs to the girl's dormitory.

She hadn't realized how tired she was until she changed into her pajamas and flopped into bed, letting a soft smile take over her face. Her eyelids fluttered shut, and she breathed deeply as she fell asleep.

**XXX**

"Happy Birthday again," Caroline said quietly, kissing Klaus on the cheek when she met him in the common room to walk to dinner.

"Thanks. You ready, love?"

"For everyone to come back, you mean?" He nodded, and she squeezed his hand, smiling at him. "Of course."

He gave her a small smile back and they walked down to the main hall for the feast. It wasn't long before the rest of the students came flooding in, and Katherine and Liv practically ran over once they saw them sitting together. "I called it!" Katherine squealed, making Liv and Caroline share a long-suffering look. "I called it!"

"We both called it," Liv said grumpily before nodding to Klaus. "Happy Birthday."

"Thanks," he said uncomfortably.

"Kai has your present."

"Thanks."

"Oh, right. Here," Katherine said distractedly, pulling out a small wrapped box and handing it to Klaus, who tore it open and thanked her politely for the chocolate.

"Did you get him something?" Katherine asked turning to Caroline expectantly.

"Yeah, I gave it to him this morning," Caroline said, before flushing as Katherine and Liv both burst into giggles. "Not like _that_," she mumbled, glaring at them.

She turned to see Klaus clearly fighting to keep his face straight. "Shut up," she mumbled to him, waving to Liv as the other girl excused herself.

"I didn't say anything, love."

"Been dating less than a week and you're already whipped," Marcel sighed, plopping down across from them, making Klaus roll his eyes.

"No, man. He's been whipped for over a year," Liam added, grinning.

Caroline had a feeling that this was the sort of thing she shouldn't jump into (as she'd just be proving their point, no matter how ridiculous it was), instead just squeezing Klaus's knee under the table and picking up the pitcher of pumpkin juice to pour herself a glass.

He smiled slightly and ignored them, helping himself to some beef.

It made her think of the day she'd realized he was a werewolf. Now that they were dating, would he ever tell her?

She decided not to worry about it. They'd cross that bridge when they got to it. If he didn't feel comfortable with it yet, she wasn't going to push the subject. She couldn't help but let her glance move to Enzo, who was sitting at the table laughing with Tatia. Caroline frowned as Tatia gave Enzo a flirtatious grin. She turned to Klaus who'd followed her gaze.

"You all right?" he asked slowly.

She smiled slightly. "I don't know. Are you secure in the fact that it's you that I want, or are you going to be a jealous ass?"

"I choose option one," Klaus said dryly.

"Then yes, I'm all right," she said, giving him a small smile and kissing him lightly on the cheek, both of them turning to glare at Rebekah, who gagged dramatically on the other side of the table.

**XXX**

"Oh my god," Caroline murmured, getting up from the couch to rush over to the Quidditch team, who had just come through the entrance to the common room. "What happened?"

Klaus had a large bruise on his face, and she pulled out her wand.

"No, don't," he said, grabbing her wrist before she could heal it. "It grows whenever you try," he explained.

"Who did that?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Katherine pointed out, jerking her head to Enzo, who was walking up the stairs to the boys' dormitory.

"You've got to be kidding me," Caroline mumbled, pulling her wrist away from Klaus to cast a jinx.

"It's fine, Caroline," Klaus said tiredly, grabbing her wrist gently. "Not worth it."

"Why would he do that?"

"He said he expected Klaus to dodge the bludger," Hayley said, though she sounded dubious of Enzo's excuse, which was further enforced by Katherine mumbling, _'Yeah, an 'accidental' hit from three yards away' _under her breath.

Caroline scoffed. "Yes, because Keepers have to dodge _so_ many bludgers."

"Yes, well, he then tried to 'heal' it," Klaus grumbled. "I think he hexed it."

"Do you need to go to the hospital wing?"

"No, I've had worse."

"Okay," she said quietly. "I hope you feel better."

He smiled softly at her. "It should be gone by morning, love. Don't worry."

"Oh, good. I don't know if I'd be able to stand your arrogance if you weren't so pretty."

"I'm not 'pretty'."

She just smiled. "I need to study a bit more for the review test this week. Do you want to study with me?"

"Sure, love. Just let me clean up a bit."

He walked up the stairs and Caroline turned to Katherine. "Are you fucking kidding me?" she hissed.

Katherine nodded seriously. "It was pretty bad, Care. I don't know how we're going to play Ravenclaw like this."

"By Enzo getting over himself."

Katherine snorted. "Well, hopefully that'll happen soon. The match is next week."

"Hopefully," Caroline echoed.

**XXX**

_**Controversial Law Soon Up for Vote**_

_**by Terry Boot, Political Reporter**_

_In less than two weeks, the controversial Werewolf Regulation Act will be up for vote by the International Confederation of Wizards. Proponents of this law state that it will help protect society at large from werewolf attacks, and those opposed claim that this legislation is a step back from the great strides we have made toward equality for all beings throughout the wizarding world._

_When asked for a statement, ICW British Representative Mikael Mikaelson, one of the law's main writers, said the following:_

"_My family suffered greatly from a werewolf attack, losing a child to the beast, and it would make me sleep better at night if I knew that the rest of my children were protected. I believe strongly that this law will help us accomplish that."_

_Will Mikaelson's proposal make its way to International Law? We'll find out on February 1st._

"A little less than two weeks, then?" Klaus asked grumpily from next to her, taking a bite of his oatmeal.

It was the day of the full moon, and Caroline had pretty much decided that her theory was correct once she'd figured out that Klaus was about as irritable as it was possible to be.

She almost wanted to ask him snarkily if she should stay away until after his time of month, but decided not to push it.

"Yeah. Just about."

He nodded. "I wouldn't be surprised if my father has some major publicity stunt or something planned," he said bitterly. "It's his favorite thing to do when he needs more support."

"Like what?"

Klaus shrugged. "Probably nothing life-threatening. Though I wouldn't put it past him."

Caroline didn't know whether Klaus was joking, so she opted to remain silent and nibble on her toast.

They walked to class together, hand in hand, and Caroline made sure to be extra considerate. He seemed to notice, though he must have thought that it was simply because she'd figured out that he was irritable, and when they got back to the common room that afternoon after class, he kissed her softly. "I know I've been really short with you today, and I'm sorry. I'm sure I'll feel better tomorrow."

She gave him a small smile and decided to do her final check. "I know. Do you want to spend some time together after dinner?"

He shook his head, looking apologetic. "I'm sorry, love. I've got a few things to take care of. I'll see you tomorrow though, all right?"

"Okay," she said, smiling softly.

He left dinner early, just as it was getting dark, with a hurried kiss to her cheek, and she bit her lip, wondering if she should wait up that night, especially since she had Prefect rounds, so she'd be up anyway.

She was still debating it when she left the common room to meet with Luke at Ravenclaw tower for their patrol. They chatted during their hour, not finding anyone out after curfew, and they parted at the main staircase.

Caroline was about to turn to go back to the dungeons when she heard someone whisper behind her. She turned her wand out, and saw no one, but for some reason, felt like she should go to the forest.

She shook herself, trying to figure out where the thought had come from. Students weren't allowed in the forest, not even Prefects.

_No, you should go find Klaus in the forest_, the little voice in her head whispered.

Without realizing it, she'd turned toward the front door of the castle and was walking toward it. She started to resist again, but felt the voice pushing her forward.

She disillusioned herself as she walked through the doors and looked up at the full moon, walking across the grounds to the tree line.

Klaus was in there somewhere in his wolf form, theoretically harmless because he took wolfsbane. For some reason, she just had to see. And, she rationalized, it wasn't as though she couldn't get to St. Mungo's within 48 hours to get the cure.

She wandered through the trees, straining her ears for the sound of a wolf, but only heard the click of a few bowtruckles in the trees and the deep voices and hooves of a passing group of centaurs. She continued to walk through the forest, stopping when she saw a sticky white string of webbing on a tree. Frowning, she reached out to touch it.

It was thick and glistening, and felt almost like wool dipped in syrup on her fingers. She made a face and withdrew her hand, backing up and tensing when she heard a growl from behind her. She turned to see a large wolf growling at her, its ears back against his head.

"Klaus?" she asked, suddenly feeling like the world had snapped into place.

What the _fuck _was she doing in the forest?

The wolf walked up to her, its teeth bared and she took a step back from it, suddenly feeling more than a little afraid. The wolf stilled completely before giving her what could only be described as an apologetic look and walked up to her, nudging her on the leg with its nose and walking away from the webs. She followed him as he padded through the forest to a clearing where moonlight shone through the trees, and he abruptly turned around and pounced, pushing her to the grassy forest floor, his teeth bared again.

"Klaus?" she asked, her eyes wide.

She had never seen a wolf roll its eyes before, but he literally sat on top of her, unmoving. She tried to throw him off, but he snorted, his tail wagging slightly as he kept all of his weight on top of her to keep her from moving.

"What the fuck, Klaus?"

He waited until she stopped struggling before moving off of her, laying down next to her and rubbing her cheek with his nose, moving a paw to clumsily tap her abdomen, indicating that he wanted her closer. She moved, still slightly wary of him, and he seemed to notice, giving her what could only be described as puppy eyes.

"Seriously?"

He blinked before scooting a bit closer to her, enveloping her in his warmth. She checked her watch and saw that it was just after midnight, and they still had about five hours before moonset. Realizing that he probably wanted her to sleep, she let her eyes flutter shut, relaxing into him.

**XXX**

She was roughly shaken awake by a _very _naked Klaus at dawn, who loomed over her, fury in his eyes. "Are you _mental_? What the bloody hell were you thinking?"

She didn't really have an answer besides, "I just felt a weird pull to the forest. I had to find you. I don't know why."

"You...you felt a '_weird pull' _to the forest?" he asked incredulously. "You're honestly telling me that you risked your life to come find me despite the chance of running into the lethal predators that live here, which, I might add, makes no sense whatsoever, because you felt a '_weird pull' _to the forest?"

"You weren't dangerous," she said quickly before he could continue. "And what do you mean 'lethal predators'?"

"You were about to walk into the Acromantula den last night," he growled. "If I hadn't smelled you...Well, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Her mouth dropped. "Acro-_Acromantulas_? Why would Hogwarts have them in the forest?"

Klaus shrugged. "How am I supposed to know? The important thing is that they're here and you nearly got eaten. And anyway, how did you know I was in the forest?"

She didn't know what to say to that. "I...I don't know. I just...I felt like I had to come. And anyway, I've known you were a werewolf since last month, so I knew that you'd be there–"

"You what?"

"I figured it out," she said, her voice small.

"And you're telling me that not only did you _know _I was a werewolf and come anyway, but you also don't know why you came?" He was right, and it had been incredibly stupid of her, but she just hadn't been able to shake the need to go. She told him so, her eyes pleading, and he just shook his head. "You should have gone to sleep. You shouldn't have come out here. What if I'd hurt you?"

"You didn't."

"But what if I _had_?"

"I knew you wouldn't."

He just glared at her, and she didn't really have anything more to say, settling for, "Thank you for saving me, Klaus."

"I'll always do my best to keep you safe, love. You know that," he said quietly, before shifting slightly on top of her, clearly thinking about something. "I don't think this was your fault."  
"What do you mean?"

He shook his head. "I think someone enchanted you. Stop looking at me like that. It makes sense. If I'd torn you apart that would have done _wonders _for my father's law, wouldn't it?"

It would make sense as far as how she felt, she had to admit. Did he really think that his _father _had orchestrated this, though? The idea seemed ridiculous to her on its face, but then again, she'd never had any feelings but an instinctual distrust about the man.

"All the same, thanks. I'm glad you found me."

"I'll always find you," he said quietly, his gaze suddenly heated.

She felt herself blush, and realized how completely naked he was on top of her, how he was balanced completely on her body, only supporting himself with his elbows, nose to nose with her.

"Klau–"

He caught her lips with his before she could finish, his hands immediately unbuttoning her peacoat and pulling it off, sliding his hands under the fabric of her sweater and t-shirt to cup her breasts through her bra. She could feel him growing hard against her inner thigh, and she moaned as he tweaked her nipples. His lips moved from hers to nuzzle her neck, sucking at her skin before he licked the shell of her ear. "Undress," he ordered, his voice rough.

She moaned as he licked and sucked at her neck, ignoring his words in favor of baring her neck to him so that he'd have easier access. "Undress, Caroline, or you won't have any clothes to walk back in," he said against her skin.

"Why?" she asked, panting slightly.

"Because my self-control isn't at its best around the full moon, especially with you. I won't take you unless you want me, but if you say yes, I will gladly rip every inch of fabric off your body."

She felt her breath catch, and he slowly pulled himself back up, brushing his lips over hers. "Do you want this? Do you want me?" he asked, his breath hot against her cheek.

"Yes," she said breathlessly, her hands coming up to tangle in his hair.

She felt him tense against her, his muscles flexing as he strained not to move, and when one of his hands wound into the fabric of her sweater, she realized that he had been serious about the clothes. She pushed him up and away from her, though his palms were still braced on the ground on either side of her head, and she unbuttoned her jeans, pulling them down her legs, trying to suppress a smile as his eyes greedily followed their progress, taking in every inch of her creamy skin.

Her sweater and t-shirt were next, and by the time those had come off he was kissing her again, his fingertips leaving hot trails across her skin, and she unhooked her bra, pulling it down her arms. Her nipples puckered from the cold air, and she arched her back as his lips descended to nip and lick lightly at her breasts. "Hold on a second," she panted, groping blindly next to her for her wand.

"Prohibeo infans," she cast, doing the looping movement for the contraceptive charm carefully before throwing her wand to the side and wrapping her legs around his waist, flipping them over so that she was on top.

He growled and flipped them back, grinding his hard length into her thigh and he balanced himself on his elbows on either side of her, the heat of his body enveloping her. "I need you under me now," he said, his voice rough. "Later we can do whatever you want. Right now, I need-the wolf needs-you this way."

She nodded, digging her fingernails into his shoulder and he groaned, his hips bucking against her thigh. He grabbed her hands from his shoulders, pinning them to the ground on either side of her head, and devoured her lips, thrusting his tongue into her mouth.

He pulled away, his eyes dark with lust as they raked over her body. "Tell me if I'm too rough. Actually, hex me if I'm too rough."

She blinked. "Are you asking me to hex you?" she asked, sighing as he reattached his lips to her collarbone.

"No, I'm telling you to. It's the full moon, and because of the wolfsbane, I don't sustain injuries from the transformation. One of the side effects of that is that I'm stronger," he said, pausing between words to lick and suck her skin, creating marks that she was sure would linger for the next few days.

"How am I supposed to grab my wand, exactly?" she asked, slightly breathless, arching her back to encourage the movements of his lips.

He stilled. "I don't know. I just don't want to hurt you by accident, though I honestly doubt it'll get to that point. The fact that I haven't flipped you over and fucked you until you could barely walk is a miracle in and of itself."

She felt a stab of arousal it her at his words, and spread her legs just a bit more. She could feel him grin against the skin of her breast. "Why haven't you, then?" she gasped out.

"Do you like that idea, love?"

She moaned and nodded. He swore, and she had a feeling that his self-control was waning, and she found that she didn't mind in the slightest. It actually felt...empowering. She liked the idea that she could be the one to make him lose control-to make him revert to his most primal side.

"I like it rough," she panted out, smiling as she practically _felt _something snap in him.

He removed his hands from her wrists and grabbed her by her hips, flipping her over while he knelt behind her, his cock hard against the flesh of her ass.

"Keep your wrists there," he snapped, and she shivered (not at all from cold), returning her wrists to the ground.

She felt his cock brush her entrance and she moaned, rolling her hips towards him. "Please, Klaus."

He slammed into her, filling her, and groaned loudly, his fingernails digging into her hips.

"Fuck, Caroline."

"Move, please," she breathed, rocking her hips again.

He did so, both of them breathing hard as his thrusts grew more frantic and rough, and she had never considered herself a screamer, but good _lord _she knew Klaus would make her one if every time they fucked was this good.

"You feel so good," she gasped, moaning as he reached around to rub her clit, making the coil in her belly tighten even more. She was _so _close, and he started speaking to her in a low voice with that damn accent (that she _really _should be used to by now) telling her how _fucking hot_ she was bent over for him in the middle of the forest, and how _bloody perfect _her pussy felt around him, and _yes, please do scream for me, love_.

He brushed a fingernail along her clit and she came hard around him, her core muscles spasming as she screamed his name.

He came soon after, his balls slapping against her skin as he fucked her through her orgasm before spilling inside her, rolling on his back and pulling her on top of him, his hands cupping her ass lightly, stroking her skin with his fingertips.

They were both breathing hard, and he removed one hand to wipe a smudge of dirt off of her cheek, grinning. "You are stunning."

She felt her face heat, and he gave her a smug look before moving to scrape his teeth down her neck. She flinched, and he immediately pulled up. "Did that hurt? Are you all right, love?" he asked, looking alarmed.

"No, it felt good, but you _bit_ me."

The eyeroll she got from him must have set some sort of record for 'most disdainful'. "I wouldn't bite you if you could be infected when I'm not a wolf."

"Okay," she said slowly, biting her lip.

"And anyway, I did it before. Why weren't you worried then?" he asked, looking vaguely amused.

"I was a bit distracted."

"Oh?" he asked, the smug smirk on his face almost infuriating. He moved to tug her lip lightly between his teeth, his hands stroking her back lightly before finding their way back to her hips, squeezing her ass. She moaned into his mouth and panted his name when he let go to flip them over again and nip at the creamy skin of her neck and breasts. She felt his come drip down her thighs and froze again.

He paused again, looking up. "Caroline…?"

"I can't you know..._catch _it from you, right?"

"Catch?" he asked, frowning.

"You know...like, when you come in my–Hey, don't laugh! It's a legitimate question."

"Sorry," he said, clearly trying to straighten his face and failing miserably.

"I'll take that as a no?" she asked dryly.

He nodded, still fighting down a smile. "Lycanthropy isn't a sexually transmitted disease, love. The only way you can become a werewolf is if one bites you while they are in wolf form."

"So I'm safe, then?"

"Yes. You are safe as long as you don't go out in the full moon."

"Or you've taken your potion," she added.

"No. You can't come out again, Caroline."

"You can't tell me what to do."

"You're right," he said, stopping her rant build-up before she'd even started. "I can't. But I'd like you to do it, please. Just in case."

"Okay," she said quietly, nodding.

"Thanks," he said, smiling slightly, kissing her softly again.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Did we like the date? How are we feeling about the political climate? Is it escalating quickly? What's up with Enzo (and Tatia)? Did we like the smut? ;)  
Let me know that and any of your other thoughts in a review! :D  
Hugs!  
-Angie**


	9. Objection

A/N: I'm sorry that I skipped a week. I know I suck. This chapter is pretty Klaroline-heavy so I hope that makes up for it.  
Thank you to Sophie and D for beta work.  
Enjoy!  
-Angie

* * *

"I have to stop by the hospital wing for my post-transformation check-up," he said quietly when they arrived at the castle. "I'd like you to visit as soon as possible, too."

"Why?"

"You were enchanted," he pointed out. "We need to make sure that the curse is taken off."

"Okay."

He'd apparently stored a set of clothes by the passage to the common room that he'd showed her when they'd gone to Hogsmeade, and he disillusioned himself to walk there, with her following his example. They held hands as they walked, and she waited for him to change, his clothes disappearing from sight as he touched them.

The wall opened for them when he tapped the bricks, and they slid down the chute to the common room together. She kissed him lightly and giggled as he nuzzled her ear.

"I need to take a shower. I smell like sex and dirt," Caroline said, pulling away and making a face.

Klaus laughed, pulling her into a hug and kissing the top of her head. "I rather like my scent on you," he mumbled, nuzzling her ear.

"Of course you do. Unfortunately for you, I don't," she said, smiling slightly and turning her face up to catch his lips in a chaste kiss. "And you need to get to the hospital wing. I'll see you at breakfast?"

"Hospital wing first," he reminded her, and she made a face before nodding.

"Okay. Wait for me there and we'll walk down to the Hall together?"

"Of course, love."

She made her way up the stairs and turned on the water to one of the showers in the large bathroom.

Besides the obvious explanation (magic), she'd always wondered how the castle managed to create a number of showers equal to the number of occupants for each dorm room. Each girl had a rather roomy shower with a frosted glass door, a shelf for their bath supplies, and two showerheads. She lathered her hair with shampoo, a feeling of anxiety creeping through her slowly. Someone had enchanted her to put herself in a dangerous situation less than two weeks before the werewolf law was going to be voted on.

Klaus seemed certain that his father was behind it, but Caroline wasn't so sure. Granted, she and her father had quite a good relationship, but she couldn't imagine a parent not loving their child, let alone purposefully trying to ruin their life. Then again, she didn't know Mikael at all, and she'd always gotten a creepy feeling from him.

She'd fish for more information, she decided. They'd arranged to spend some time together after lunch, and it was the perfect time. First she'd have to stop by the hospital wing. She toweled off and dressed in her uniform before checking her mobile floo for messages. Finding none, she grabbed her bag and set off for the hospital wing.

She heard Klaus's voice behind a screen near the back, and the nurse poked her head out from behind the barrier. "Just a moment, Miss Forbes, I'll be right with you."

"Thanks," she said, sitting down on a nearby bed.

She waited patiently for Klaus to be done, and when he came out he sat down next to her, clearly having used the hospital shower.

"What's going on?" the nurse asked, her eyes darting between them.

Klaus gave her a short explanation of what had transpired that morning (stopping when he woke up, though the nurse gave them a knowing look, making Caroline blush).

"How did you feel?" the nurse asked, pulling out her wand and waving it at Caroline, who felt a slight warmth wash over her as a self-writing quill began to skate across the clipboard in the nurse's hand.

"Like I had to go find Klaus. It was...weird. I knew I shouldn't, but it was like I couldn't stop, and my mind was telling me it was a good idea."

"And do you remember anything happening earlier that night? Anyone who could have cast the spell?"

"I heard a whispering on my way back to the dormitories after patrol."

The nurse nodded, checking the clipboard. "Well, there appears to be no residue from any of the normal spells or potions that could cause that, but we can't check for the Imperius. If you feel anything odd, and I do mean _anything_, immediately tell a professor and come to the hospital wing as soon as possible, all right?"

"Okay. Thank you."

"Of course, dear. Now, I'm sure you're both hungry, so you should get some breakfast."

She'd noticed that Klaus always found excuses to touch her. His arm would be around her waist, or he'd take her hand as they walked. She wondered if it was a wolf thing. It wasn't that she necessarily minded the touching itself, but it was odd to feel marked like that. He rested his hand on the small of her back, his thumb rubbing circles on her skin through her robes.

"Is the whole touching thing a wolf thing?"

He frowned, but his lips twitched. "The 'whole touching thing'?"

"You're always touching me somehow. I don't mind. I mean, I kind of like it. It's nice. But is it like...a claiming thing?"

"What, I can't just like touching you?" he asked, his lips twitching.

She shrugged. "I guess. I was just curious."

"Well," he said slowly, clearly trying to figure out how to explain whatever he wanted to say. "It's not really a _claiming _instinct so much as protectiveness. Before you go off on me, I know you can take care of yourself, as was shown by your sound thrashing of me in the common room earlier this year."

"Still bitter?" she teased.

"Never. I let you win."

She laughed and elbowed him lightly in the side. "Liar."

"Maybe."

They walked in a comfortable silence until they arrived in the Great Hall, and she grabbed the paper Katherine offered her as they sat down. Klaus rested his hand on her knee and she smiled slightly, taking a bite of toast and scanning the front page. She found nothing of interest and flipped to the middle of the paper in the politics section, which didn't have a single article on the law.

"Do you know if people are campaigning against your father's law?" she asked before taking a bite of toast.

"Probably, but I doubt anything will happen unless there's a large uprising."

"We have to do something."

"I'd obviously love to, Caroline, but I can't do it without backlash from my father."

Caroline read the subtext of his words, realizing that Mikael would out him.

"Well, I'll do it then."

He smiled slightly. "I don't know how much you can do, but I'm sure that those affected by the law will appreciate the sentiment."

"Oh, you have no idea," she said, already planning her method of attack.

Mikael Mikaelson was going _down_.

**XXX**

_To: Hermione Weasley, Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures_

_My name is Caroline Forbes, and I am a student at Hogwarts, as well as the next in line for the American seat on the ICW. I am writing because I oppose the Werewolf Regulation Act, which is going up for the primary round of voting on February 1st, and I am seeking your counsel on possible actions I may take in order to fight against this proposal, which is unfair and restrictive to all the victims of lycanthropy among the wizarding population._

_I understand that you also oppose the proposal, and I'm hoping that I might be of some use in your efforts to challenge the act before it becomes law._

_Thank you very much for your efforts to foster justice and equality for all in the wizarding community, and I look forward to the possibility of working with you in the future._

_I await your response._

_Sincerely,_

_Caroline Forbes_

**XXX**

"Hey," Caroline greeted, plopping down on the couch in the common room next to Klaus.

"Hello, love."

She moved her head to the side to allow a kiss on the cheek before snuggling into him, resting her head on his shoulder and letting him sling his arm around her.

"I have a question."

"I might have an answer."

She scanned the common room, and there was no one there, so she pressed on.

"So, tell me if this question is too personal–-"

"I'm not sure how you can get more personal than 'Can I get lycanthropy from your sperm,' but I'll let you know if you cross a line," Klaus said dryly.

Caroline huffed. "You know what I mean."

He just looked at her expectantly.

"Why does it seem like your dad hates–-"

"Line crossed," he said firmly.

She bit her lip. "But–"

"I told you that I'd let you know if I wouldn't answer it, and I don't want to answer that question."

"Okay," she said slowly. "Do you think you'll ever be ready to answer that question?"

He was silent for a few moments, and Caroline, with great difficulty, restrained herself from talking again.

"Yes," he said decisively. "Someday I will. However, that day is not today."

She decided to cut her losses. "Okay. How's the Quidditch team coming?" she asked.

He gave her a small smile at the clumsy and obvious change of subject, but spoke anyway. "I think that if Augustine can keep his bat to himself, we have quite a good chance of winning."

Caroline winced. "I don't know why he hates you so much. I mean, we dated, but it wasn't _serious_, or anything."

Klaus shrugged. "If I let you get away, I'd hate me too."

"Romantic, but not really a reason."

"I think it's reason enough," Klaus said, shrugging the shoulder she wasn't laying on and resting his cheek on the top of her head.

**XXX**

_To: Caroline Forbes_

_I hope that this letter finds you well. Thank you for your interest in fighting the proposal for the Werewolf Regulation Act. _

_You are correct that I also oppose the passage of this law, and I would love any help that I can. Unfortunately, there isn't much we can do before the primaries begin._

_Due to the rules and regulations governing the International Confederation of Wizards, it is not possible to officially interfere as an __employee of the Ministry__ with the passage of a law until it passes the first benchmark. Rest assured, I have many contingency plans in place if this should occur, and I will be sure to initiate further contact with you should it become necessary._

_I understand the frustration that occurs when one's hands are tied, as I myself experienced this at Hogwarts during the war. In my fifth year, I was so frustrated that I __organized an interview__ with the Quibbler. _

_I apologize for my anecdote, but I do hope that it may bring you some comfort in these troubled times._

_Sincerely,_

_Hermione Weasley_

_Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures_

_Order of Merlin, First Class_

Caroline smiled as she re-read the letter she'd sent, noticing the underlined words.

Though Hermione couldn't interfere, if Caroline wasn't mistaken, she was giving her blessing for Caroline to organize a protest.

**XXX**

"Thank you for agreeing to interview me," Caroline said politely as she sat down in the classroom she'd reserved with Professor Slughorn.

Her professor sat next to her to be the adult present for the interview, but remained silent, simply there as a support system.

"Of course," Terry Boot said, dipping the dictation quill into the inkpot. "As you can see, this is a standard interview quill. It will take down what you say, with no embellishments or assumptions. If you'd like a copy for your records, I'm happy to duplicate one for you."

"Thanks," Caroline said, smiling.

"So, let's begin. Why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself."

"My name is Caroline Forbes, and I'm the daughter of William Forbes, the ICW ambassador for the United States. I currently go to Hogwarts."

"And why don't you tell me your thoughts on the Werewolf Regulation Act."

Caroline smiled. "Well, I think that the law is entirely unreasonable. Werewolves in our community, as a whole, are only dangerous on the full moon…"

She talked to the reporter for over an hour, and when he left that evening, she was proud of herself. Before she left, Professor Slughorn clapped her on the shoulder. "I'm proud of you m'dear. Always knew you had a strength in politics."

"Thank you, Professor."

"I only speak the truth. Now, let's get you back to your common room, shall we?"

**XXX**

Caroline moaned into Klaus's mouth as he ran his thumbs over her nipples, his tongue stroking the inside of her teeth.

He pulled away to brush his lips over her jawline, sucking lightly to create red marks on her pale skin.

"Don't you think we're moving a little bit fast?" Caroline gasped out as Klaus's hands went to the button of her jeans.

He froze, looking up at her. "Beg pardon?"

"We've been dating for less than a month, and we're already about to have sex in your room."

He looked like he was about to say something, probably to point out that she'd asked him to fuck her hard and fast on the ground in the middle of a forest, but seemed to change his mind at the last second. "Do you regret our time together last week?"

"No, not at all. I just… I don't know. I guess it's silly."

"Not at all. If you're uncomfortable, I'm not going to pressure you," he said, moving his hands away from the hem of her jeans to stroke the skin of her abdomen. "Would you like to take a step back and go more slowly?"

"Yeah. Sorry," she said quietly.

"Don't apologize," he said firmly. "If you're not comfortable, then I don't want to make you moreso. Don't be sorry for telling me what you need."

She was speechless for a moment. "Thanks. For not pressuring me."

He gave her another confused look. "Don't thank me for being a decent human being."

"It's nice of you, though," she said uncomfortably.

"Well, you're setting the bar rather low for 'nice'," he said, his lips twitching.

She didn't know what to say to that, so instead she reached up to kiss him again, this time a bit more softly before pulling back. "I don't want to stop completely. I just don't want to make this relationship about sex, and I feel like we've been spending half our alone time together making out on your bed."

"I see your point," he said, somewhat reluctantly.

Ugh. _Boys_.

"What's your favorite color?" she asked abruptly, her fingers stroking his back under his shirt.

"Blue," he said. "Why?"

"Just curious."

He gave her a suspicious look.

"I want to get to know you. More than I already do, I mean."

He hummed in understanding and flipped them over so that she was on top, his palms rubbing over her hips through her jeans.

"Well," he started slowly. "What do you want to know?"

"I don't know. What's your favorite food?"

"Steak. Yours?"

"Red velvet cupcakes."

"If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?"

"Are we taking turns?" she asked, smiling slightly.

"Yes."

"Like, if I could visit? Or live?"

"Visit, I suppose."

"Hawaii, I guess."

"Have you ever been?"

She shook her head. "No. It's too far to apparate safely, so you have to take a plane or a portkey. My dad doesn't trust Muggle technology, and portkey trip licenses are enough work to get that it's not worth it to go for only a day or two."

"Well, you're of age now, aren't you?"

She nodded. "I guess I could get one. What about you? Where would you want to go?"

"Puddlemere."

She laughed. "Wow, you really are Quidditch obsessed."

"Of course. I thought you knew what you were getting into."

"Oh, I did," she said, smiling.

"I want it for a career," he admitted quietly. "But even if the Act doesn't pass, I'd be sick once a month, and they can't exactly schedule around full moons."

"You never know," Caroline said, moving down to rest her cheek against his chest and tangling her legs with his.

"I suppose not."

They laid there in silence for a few moments before Klaus shifted under her, wrapping his arms around her waist more firmly, cuddling her to him.

"Rebekah, Kol, and I played Quidditch together when we were younger," Klaus said, breaking the silence, before clearing his throat uncomfortably. "Er...They used to play chasers and try to score against me. Eventually they decided that it was no fun to try and so Rebekah would practice seeking against me while Kol would try to hit us with the bludgers."

"That sounds fun," Caroline said cautiously.

"It was. I've wanted to do Quidditch as a career since I first flew, and my siblings have been largely supportive."

"That's good."

"My entire family, with the exception of Finn, likes sports. If Finn hadn't turned down the seat, Elijah would have gone into Quidditch management."

"Why did Finn turn down the seat? I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but–"

"Well, he won't have officially turned it down until my father retires, as you know," Klaus said slowly. "But last I heard, Finn didn't want to accept it because he and Sage want a family."

"But you have so many siblings, and your father seems to participate well enough."

"He does," Klaus said, and she could tell that she'd accidentally steered him down the way that he'd start shutting down.

"So wait, Elijah wanted to do Quidditch management? That sounds perfect for him."

"Yes. It would have been. He's not all that athletic himself, but he's always been our biggest fan. Even when we were children he came to all our Youth League games. Every single one."

"That's so cute."

Klaus chuckled. "There was one time when he was quite sick with the flu, and our mother had given him the cure potion, but the healer had told him that he should stay in bed for a day just in case, and he flooed anyway. Mother was furious when she found out, but let him stay for the game. Elijah's always been obsessed with family connections."

"I can imagine," Caroline said quietly. "I did Youth Quidditch League too, back home."

"Were you a chaser?"

"Yep. I did Quidditch summer camp over my breaks, too."

"Then why didn't you try out for the team?"

"I had too much going on," she said, thinking of the massive fight she'd had with her mother that summer about getting involved with the ICW as an intern.

"It's a shame. You're quite good."

"So you've told me," Caroline teased, kissing him lightly on the jaw.

"When I'm captain next year–-"

"And you wonder why I call you arrogant."

"We both know it's going to happen, love. Might as well acknowledge it."

She laughed. "Fine. Go on. When you're captain."

"You should try for the team. Damon will be gone, so there will be a spot."

She hummed in agreement. "I'll think about it."

"Good."

"I'm tired," she mumbled against his chest.

"Sleep then. I'll wake you before dinner."

"Secret cuddler?"

She felt the rumble of his chest as he laughed, his hand still making small circles on her back. "I don't think I'll dignify that with an answer."

"So is that a yes?" she teased.

He grabbed a book from the side table, clearly trying not to jostle her too much, and waved his wand so that it would float in the air in front of him, the pages staying flat, defying gravity completely. "I'll just read," he said, ignoring her question.

She smiled and drifted off within a few moments, listening to his heartbeat.

**XXX**

_ICW Heiress Speaks Out_

_by Terry Boot, Political Reporter_

_I had the pleasure of speaking to Caroline Forbes, the daughter of the United States representative to the ICW about her thoughts on the controversial Werewolf Regulation Act, which is going up for primary vote in just four days…_

Caroline nibbled on her toast as she read through the article, happy that he hadn't seemed to twist her words at all. She felt Klaus hovering over her shoulder, reading along with her.

"What do you think?" Caroline asked, folding the paper back up.

"I think that it was a well-done article, and that we'll see how it turns out in a few days," Klaus said, his tone making it clear that the subject was closed.

"Okay," she said, a bit reproachful, and he squeezed her knee lightly.

"I didn't mean to be short with you, sweetheart. I'm just stressed."

"I know. It's fine."

He kissed her lightly on the cheek and turned back to his eggs. She wondered if the article would be of any help at all. She didn't exactly have the kind of political clout that those already on the ICW did, but she was hoping that she could convince at least some people.

Her floo vibrated in her pocket, and she pulled it out to see her father's name on the side in the cursive that showed the callers name.

"I'll be right back," she said, standing up to take the call.

"What were you thinking?"

Caroline huffed as she stared at her father's face in the small flame. "I wanted to help."

"You can't just give interviews like that, Caroline. This is _politics_. You have to play it smart."

"I don't care. This law is bullshit."

"You should care. All eyes are on you now, sweetpea. You can't just start throwing your opinions out to the press like that."

"You're just upset that your stupid werewolf act might get voted back and Mikael won't back your tradeable goods law anymore."

"Caroline…"

"You wanted me to stick up for what I believe in, Dad. This is what I believe in."

"Yes, stick up for what you believe in, but not in an international news outlet without consulting me."

"I thought I was pretty diplomatic with my answers."

"You were, yes. You obviously thought them through, and I appreciate that," Bill said, his voice tight. "However, you can't just go off pulling stunts like this, Caroline. It doesn't work like that."

The chime rang through the castle that signaled the fifteen-minute warning before classes began, and Caroline sighed. "I have to go, Dad," she said coldly.

He nodded, and she gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Have a good day, Carebear."

"You too."

**XXX**

"I just broke up with Mason," Katherine said miserably as she walked into their dorm room, her eyes red.

"Oh no, Kat, what happened?"

"It wasn't fair to him to lead him on like that. I felt bad."

Caroline nodded sympathetically and patted the mattress next to her, and Katherine sank down, sighing dramatically and falling back onto Caroline's pillow and resting her feet in Caroline's lap.

Normally, she would have shoved them away, but break-ups sucked, and she could stand Katherine's bright blue toenails wriggling against her thigh until her friend got herself together.

"Kat, I mean this in the nicest possible way, but you _need _to get over Stefan. Like, _now_."

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

"I don't know, but it needs to happen. You can't stay hung up on him forever. Look, he picked Elena, which shows what kind of judgment he has. Do you _really _want to date someone who picked your _sister_?"

"I can't control who I like, Care."

"I know. Let me know if I can do anything to help, though."

"I don't think you can."

"I'm sorry, Kat. Want to go down to the kitchens? We can have chocolate."

"Sounds great."

They both disillusioned themselves and walked down the dormitory stairs and headed to the kitchens. They were quickly served hot chocolate and cupcakes, and they sat at one of the wooden tables giggling together.

They finally got up from the table about an hour later, each thanking the house elves multiple times before heading back up to the common room. Klaus was on the couch by the fire, and he looked up when the wall slid closed behind them, though they were invisible.

He frowned and waved his wand before Caroline could undo the spell, and she and Katherine were paralyzed and the spell lifted.

"Shit," Klaus muttered, waving his wand again and freeing them. "Sorry, love. I didn't know it was you."

"It's okay," she said standing up and brushing off her jeans (having discarded her robe in her room before they left).

"Oh, don't bother to help me up. I'll just lie here," Katherine grumbled, pulling herself up. "I'm going to bed. Be safe, kids."

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

Katherine shook her head. "I want to spend some time by myself, I think. Thanks for the cupcakes, Care."

Katherine didn't look back as she strutted up the stairs, and Caroline resisted the urge to grimace.

"What happened?"

"What makes you think anything happened?" Caroline asked.

He shrugged. "You were out after hours," he said, grinning. "You're lucky I'm not a prefect."

"Oh, would you have taken points?" she asked teasingly, walking over to sit on one of the black leather couches, snuggling into Klaus's side when he sat down next to her.

"No."

She laughed. "Too scared?"

"No. Prefects can't take points from other prefects, love. You should know that."

She huffed. "Fair enough."

"But if you feel guilty I could always puni–"

"Don't finish that sentence. We're taking it slow," she said, half-teasing.

"Oh, am I tempting you?"

She kissed him slowly, resisting the urge to sling her leg over his lap and straddle him (the common room was a public space, after all). "Maybe a little."

He smirked and took her bottom lip between his teeth, tugging it lightly, making her sigh softly before he pulled away. "So, what happened?"

"Katherine and Mason broke up."

"Oh," Klaus said, grimacing. "Does that mean I'll have to sit through conversations about what went wrong?"

"No. We know what went wrong."

"I see."

Caroline sighed. "She still likes Stefan."

"Stefan?" Klaus asked, his lip curling.

"What's wrong with Stefan?"

Klaus shrugged. "I don't know. He's just a bit...mopey, isn't he?"

"More than a bit," she said, smiling.

Klaus nodded. "Well, I'm sure she'll get over him eventually. She's spent enough time pining for him."

"She hasn't been _pining_."

He raised an eyebrow and Caroline huffed. "You liked me for how long, again?"

"A year and a half, give or take. However, you were _worth _liking."

"And Stefan's not?"

"His taste is questionable."

Caroline laughed, laying her head on his shoulder. "True."

They sat in silence for a while before Caroline spoke again. "Are you ever going to tell me how you figured out you liked me?"

"Caroline, we've been dating for a month. I think 'are you ever' is a bit of a harsh way to phrase that question."

"Maybe. Still though, I want to know."

He sighed. "Wait here."

She frowned but watched him walk up the stairs to the boys' dormitory and come back a few minutes later with a sketchbook.

He sat down next to her and flipped through the pages quickly, clearly looking for something specific, before he handed it to her.

Caroline gasped quietly as she looked at the picture, which was of her, obviously studying, holding a piece of hair between her teeth while writing, a book open next to her.

"It's—"

"There are more, but that was the one where I realized why I liked sketching you."

"Can I see the other ones?"

"Maybe another time."

"Okay," she said agreeably, handing the book back to him. "Are you nervous for tomorrow?"

He shrugged. "Of course, but there's nothing to be done. I'm sure your father will contact you to tell you if it passed or not. Until then, there's no point worrying about it."

She nodded slowly, though she could see how stressed he was by how closed off his body suddenly was to her, and the strain in his smile.

"Do you want to talk about something else?"

"Yes, please."

She laughed. "Okay. Are you ready for the Arithmancy quiz?"

"Is all you talk about school and politics?" he teased, though she could tell that he was getting slightly annoyed.

"Sorry. What do you want to talk about?"

He grimaced. "I didn't mean it like that. I just...Not tonight?"

"Sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"You didn't," he said reassuringly. "Have you thought about what you want to do for Valentine's Day?"

"That is in two weeks, isn't it?"

He nodded. "And there's a Hogsmeade weekend."

"Do you want to stay in the castle? We can hang out in this study lounge I found on the third floor. I don't think anyone else knows about it."

He smirked. "Sounds lovely."

"Good."

They cuddled together on the couch for a while, making small talk, before she yawned and disentangled herself. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, sweetheart."

She kissed him chastely and moved up the stairs to her dorm, checking on Kat quickly to find her asleep, before falling into bed herself.

**XXX**

Caroline was sitting with a jittery Klaus in the common room, watching him try to concentrate on studying out of the corner of her eye. Neither of them were getting much done, and they kept looking at her floo whenever a floo chime noise happened, even if they both knew it was across the room.

"Help me study," she ordered, pushing her papers towards him and trying to give him something to distract himself with.

The look he gave her showed her that he knew exactly what was going on, but he obligingly picked up the bundle of flashcards and began to test her on the runes that would be on the quiz that Friday.

They went through the cards a few times until she got every single one right, and then she offered to test him.

He handed her the flashcards, but before she could begin, her floo buzzed with a written message.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Even if the act passed the primary vote through the general membership, it would still have to get through the high court, which meant that it still had a chance to not go through.

If high court voted against it, it would be vetoed and would have to be voted on again by the entire membership, and would have to get a two-thirds majority for it to pass. If that happened, it would become law whether the high court approved or not.

Klaus's eyes were fixed on the flashing compartment that her texts arrived in, and Caroline could have sworn that he looked a bit sick.

Biting her lip, she undid the hook that kept the compartment shut and pulled on the tiny roll of parchment, which held the text.

She bit her lip as she read the words, her stomach sinking.

"It passed," she said quietly.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading! Any thoughts on the aftermath of their time in the forest? On how Klaus realized he liked her? How are we feeling about Katherine and Mason's breakup (I know it's minor)?  
Just so you all know, I think I've changed my tune about Katherine's endgame pairing (it won't be Stefarine). Any thoughts on that? ;)  
How do we feel about the werewolf act passing? Any predictions?  
Let me know your thoughts!  
Hugs!  
-Angie


	10. Problem Solving

**A/N: I'm sorry it took this long to get this out. The next updates should be a shorter time period in between. This chapter is like, one third smut, so I hope that makes up for it, lol.  
Thank you to D, Sophie, and Wifey for beta work.  
Enjoy!  
-Angie**

* * *

_Controversial Werewolf Law Rejected by High Court_

_by Terry Boot - Political Reporter_

_In a surprise move yesterday, the high court of the International Confederation of Wizards struck down the proposed international statute that would restrict the movements of werewolves between countries as well as their ability to obtain and retain employment. _

_Therefore, the proposal needs a two-thirds majority vote from the world representatives, where it needs two-thirds of the member vote to pass. The vote originally passed twelve days ago with a majority of 110 of the 195 members voting for it, down from the projected vote of 125 of the 195 members approving. Now that the law has been vetoed, the proposal must gain 21 votes to pass into law._

_Mikael Mikaelson, staunch supporter of the law (and representative for England) released the following comment: "As a parent to a number of children myself, one of whom was a casualty of a werewolf attack, you can understand my reluctance to allow werewolves to roam through the populace without additional security measures. I firmly believe that there will be at least twenty-one people who will see the sense in supporting the proposal. The proposed law will solve this problem by (Continued, pg. D2)._

Klaus looked much happier that morning than he had in awhile (for obvious reasons), and once he'd finished breakfast, he kissed Caroline on the cheek, giving her one of those rare dimpled smiles that seemed to be reserved just for her, and went to grab his broom for Quidditch practice.

Caroline, however, was not in a good mood at all. It wasn't that she wasn't happy the law got vetoed by the high court (she was), but the last part of the front page section of the article confused her. Mikael said he'd lost a child to a werewolf. If he hadn't phrased it using the word 'casualty' she might have thought that he meant Klaus was dead to him, but something told her there was something more to it. She tried to remember anything else she knew about the Mikaelson family (And_ Mikael Mikaelson_? Mikael's parents shouldn't have been allowed to name children, _honestly_), and recalled what her father had said about one of their children dying.

Was it possible that the child had died from a werewolf attack? Maybe the child had died, but Klaus only was bitten, and maybe it was resentment on the part of Mikael that Klaus had lived while his other child had died. Well, not only had Klaus lived, but he'd also become the thing that Mikael hated: a werewolf.

It would explain so much…

She bit her lip. She was curious now, but she wasn't sure that asking Klaus would be a good idea. At the same time, she doubted that Klaus would appreciate her asking one of his siblings.

Unless he didn't find out.

_Elijah's always been obsessed with family connections._

She sipped her coffee and waited until Elijah left the Great Hall before getting up, setting her mug down on the table and grabbing her bag, trying to look casual. "Um, Elijah?" she called as she left.

He turned around, nodding stiffly to her. "Hello, Caroline. Are you looking for my brother?"

"No, actually. I wanted to talk to you about something. Well, ask you something, really."

He nodded.

"In private," she added, and he raised an eyebrow before walking to a nearby empty classroom, opening the door and waiting for her to go through.

"What may I help you with?"

"I know about Klaus's..._thing_," she started, making Elijah raise his eyebrows. "I was wondering if...Well, it seems like your father hates him, and I was wondering if it was because of your brother. The one that died from the werewolf attack."

Elijah pressed his lips together, his expression calculating. Caroline had long ago accepted that house traits weren't something you necessarily adhered to, but instead were values. Elijah might value the Hufflepuff traits (loyalty and justice), but he was as shrewd as any Slytherin.

"Does my brother know you are asking?"

Caroline shook her head, and Elijah walked towards the door. "Elijah, please. He just...he doesn't want to talk to me about his family, and I want to help, okay? I need to know what I can do."

"You can support him," Elijah said slowly without turning to face her. "You can give him your love and trust that he'll share his experiences when he's ready to, and not before. My brother is a good person, Caroline, and what our father did was unfair. However, it is not my place to speak of it. Good day."

"Good day," Caroline echoed, already planning how to talk to Klaus about what she suspected (and Elijah had all but confirmed).

She walked back to the common room lost in thought, trying to figure out a way that she could help. There was nothing she could do to Mikael, really, but she could be on Klaus's side with it. She could help him not feel so alone.

The question was how.

**XXX**

Klaus and Caroline had planned to spend most of the day before Valentine's Day in Caroline's study room, but they decided that they should have a late brunch in Hogsmeade instead and just hang out there during their free period the next day (which was the actual holiday). She had insisted on no presents, pinning him with a glare that told him that she meant it, but he took her out for lunch at a small café across the street from Madam Puddifoot's, where they made fun of the boys who were being dragged there by their girlfriends.

"Have I mentioned how glad I am that you're willing to spend Valentine's Day not covered in pink confetti?"

"Technically it's not Valentine's Day until tomorrow, but no you haven't."

He grinned. "Well, I'm glad that you're willing to spend Valentine's Day not covered in pink confetti."

"Good to know," Caroline said solemnly, fighting down a smile before taking a bite of her pancake.

Klaus took out his wand and waved it around them. "Muffliato."

Caroline raised an eyebrow, not commenting on the privacy spell, instead just looking at him expectantly.

"Caroline, we need to talk."

Caroline felt a lump rise in her throat. What happened? Everything was fine that morning. She tried to think of an explanation while she nodded.

"What's up?" she asked, her voice shaky.

His eyes widened in surprise at her tone before it seemed to dawn on him what she thought. "I'm not breaking up with you, love," he said quickly, grabbing her hand.

She glared at him a bit reproachfully at his choice of words, making him grin.

"I just want to talk to you about what happened with Elijah the other day."

Caroline bit her lip, knowing that denying it would just make it worse. "He told you?"

"Of course he did," Klaus said, rolling his eyes. "He wanted to make sure that I knew that you knew, and he also spewed some tripe about trusting others." He took a deep breath. "Anyway, this werewolf thing…it's a secret. And it's really important to me that it stays that way, all right? I haven't trusted many people outside of my family with it, and I want you to promise me that you won't tell anyone."

"Okay," Caroline said slowly.

"And I know that you knew before you found me in the forest. You didn't tell anyone, did you?"

"No, of course not," she said, a bit insulted.

"Sorry, sweetheart. Just had to make sure."

She smiled at the term of endearment, and he seemed to know that judging by his smirk. "Don't look so pleased with yourself," she teased, throwing one of the raspberries the restaurant used as garnish at him, which he caught and popped in his mouth.

"I'm meeting Kat after this to go shopping. I hope that's okay," Caroline said. "We're spending the afternoon together tomorrow, so I thought I'd spend some time with her to cheer her up. 'Cause she broke up with Mason."

"Of course. I'll track down Marcel," he said, pulling out a two Sickles and a few Knuts and dropping them on the table before getting up and offering her his hand. She smiled and took it, walking with him out of the cafe.

"I'll see you soon," she said before kissing him softly.

"See you soon, sweetheart."

She found Katherine quickly enough, and the other girl dragged her to a nearby clothing store. "Retail therapy?" Caroline asked, smirking. "I'm in."

"Sort of," Katherine said with an elegant shrug of her shoulders.

"Sort of?"

"Liam has patrol tonight, and Marcel has mysteriously decided that tonight is the perfect night to have his first date with Rebekah."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "You _so _didn't."

"I so did," she said cheerfully. "Elijah was happy to help fix up the patrol schedule."

"Elijah, huh?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing, Kat. So why are we here?"

"Don't play stupid, Care. We're getting you some nice things."

Caroline felt a flush crawl up her cheeks. "I don't think it'll matter. He kind of likes them better off than on."

Katherine let out a rather unladylike snort. "Doesn't every guy? It'll make _you _feel confident, and that's the point."

Caroline eyed the racks of lace, mesh, and was that _leather_? "I don't know if I'd feel confident in these."

"Here, try this one," Katherine said, ignoring her and thrusting a balconette bra towards her.

Caroline bit her lip but obligingly took it, going to the dressing room and shedding her top.

It would be four days before the full moon on Valentine's Day, and so Klaus would just be getting into his irritable pre-moon state of mind. However, the week before they'd had a number of conversations where she'd asked a huge list of questions about werewolves over the span of two days, and one of those conversations still made her blush slightly when she thought about it.

"_What's it like for the days before the full moon? Are you always as irritable as you were last month?"_

_He shrugged. "Last month was the first time the irritability was a bit overwhelming. I usually get a bit short-tempered, but not irritable."_

"_And what else happens?" Caroline asked curiously. "Can I call it your time of month?"_

_He glared at her, and she failed to fight down a smile, making him roll his eyes. "No, you most certainly may not. And many things happen."_

"_Like?"_

_He held her gaze, his eyes darkening slightly, making her breath catch at the intensity. "Well, the wolf instincts become more prominent closer to the full moon, and fade away slowly afterwards. Usually I'm only especially short-tempered the day before and after, but the protectiveness and territorialism happens about three or four days before."_

"_Protectiveness and territorialism?" Caroline asked, frowning (though she had a good idea of what it meant, due to his behavior in the forest). She felt herself flush slightly in spite of herself, and he smirked, leaning forward slightly. _

"_I want to tear your clothes off and take you against the classroom door whenever we're within close proximity. Last fall you have no idea how much I wanted to bend you over the library table we were working at and take you from behind, how much I wanted to drag you up the stairs from the common room and fuck you hard in my bed."_

_She felt herself blush more and more as he talked, heat pooling between her legs, and he smirked, clearly completely aware of what he was doing to her, his gaze still locked to hers. "Do you like it when I tell you what I want from you, Caroline? The things I'd do to you…"_

_She swore softly, rubbing her thighs together, and he smirked. The Ravenclaws at the next table shot her a few amused looks before turning back to their work. "I should go," she said, shooting him a halfhearted glare as she gathered her things._

"_Feeling a little uncomfortable?" he asked, his grin wicked but eyes innocent._

"_Fuck you," she mumbled, slinging her bag over her shoulder._

"_Oh, I'd like you to follow through on that very, very much."_

Trying to fight down the blush just from the memory of the way his voice wrapped around her, she clipped the bra around her torso, adjusting it carefully and turning in the mirror. It was a bit big, but she suspected that even in the correct size it wouldn't look as good as another option. Taking it off and putting her bra and shirt back on, she put it carefully back on the hanger and brought it out.

Katherine was waiting with a few more options. "Your face is a tomato," she said bluntly. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Just thinking about something," Caroline said before grimacing when she realized what the words implied.

Katherine's smirk was absolutely sadistic, and she just thrust the hangers toward her. "Well, you go ahead and think about that."

Caroline made a face and went back into the dressing room, examining her options and picking out a blue lace..._thing_. She'd noticed that he seemed particularly partial to her ass over her breasts, and the form-fitting lace would frame hers quite well. She pulled it on carefully, adjusting herself to make sure the fit was right, and hoping that it was cheap, since she had a feeling it would get ripped up.

She pulled it off and checked the tag-three Galleons and four Knuts, not bad at all.

She redressed and walked out without trying anything else, nodding at Katherine when the other girl asked if she got what she needed, and paying at the register.

They each got a few chocolates at Honeyduke's before walking back to the castle, and Caroline almost went bright red again when Klaus kissed her on the cheek and asked what was in the bag. "Katherine made me buy it," she mumbled, hoping he wouldn't ask to see what it was.

Not that he wouldn't be seeing later, but she needed some time to get up her nerve.

He seemed to guess _exactly _what it was though, and he couldn't wipe the smug smirk off his face for the rest of their meal, no matter how much she glared at him and poked him in the side.

"Liam has patrol, apparently, and Marcel's going to be doing something," Caroline said, her hand laced with his as the walked, the shopping bag and her purse in the other.

He nodded. "Yes, Marcel did mention he'd be otherwise engaged tonight. Salamander," Klaus said to the wall, which slid aside to reveal the Slytherin common room. "Coming upstairs?" he asked.

"Yeah. Sure," Caroline said, feeling her nervousness practically double.

She walked up the stairs behind him, trying to calm her breathing and wondering why she was so nervous. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen her naked before, and he hadn't seemed to mind the way she looked at all, especially considering the hunger in his eyes even when she was covered.

Sure, there were parts of her body she wasn't as comfortable with as others, but he'd seen it all, so what was the big deal? Maybe it made her uncomfortable because the entire purpose of what she'd bought was to tease and show off her body. She bit her lip and took a deep breath, telling herself that there was nothing to be nervous about.

He kissed her when they arrived, pressing her against the door, and she moaned as his hands snuck under her top to stroke her stomach. "I need to use your bathroom," she said, and he smiled when she put down her purse, keeping the shopping bag in her hand.

"Of course."

"Stop with the arrogant douchewad face or I might decide it's not worth changing into."

"Arrogant douchewad face?"

She raised an eyebrow, and he quickly blanked his expression. "Sorry, love. I did think we were going slow, though?"

"Special occasion," she said. "We don't have to if you don't want—"

"No, no, I want to," he hastened to assure her, making her smirk.

She closed the bathroom door behind her, not even taking the time to look around and instead pulling off her clothes and folding them neatly to stuff into the bag that currently held the lingerie. She pulled it on, still a bit uncomfortable, before turning to the mirror.

She looked _good_, she realized, turning around to make sure there weren't wrinkles. Yeah, she looked good, and Klaus wouldn't know what hit him.

She walked out, bending down to set the shopping bag next to her purse, and let a smirk overtake her face when she looked up to see Klaus's eyes fixed on her, his pupils dilated with lust, eyes dark.

She walked over, not bothering to try to add a saunter or an extra swing of her hips, knowing that he was just interested in touching her as soon as possible, and she straddled him, smiling as his hands found her ass, squeezing it firmly and pressing her barely-covered pussy against his already hard cock through his jeans.

"You are...ravishing," he said quietly, reaching up to tangle his fingers in her hair, pulling her lips down to his.

Her hands wound into his shirt before they broke their kiss so that she could pull it off, running her hands up and down his bare chest, her fingers tracing his tattoos as he laid down, pulling her on top of him.

She reached down to unbutton his jeans, tugging the zipper down and looming over him on her hands and knees, bending down to kiss him again, pushing her tongue into his mouth, both of them groaning softly.

Katherine was right, Caroline thought as she broke away and watched Klaus undress completely, Caroline buying and wearing pretty lingerie—seeing him look at her like _that_—was a confidence boost unlike anything she'd had before.

Well, besides getting perfect grades, organizing the most successful dragon-pox bake sale fundraiser in Hogwarts history, and winning over half the OWL achievement awards for her year group.

But she didn't want to think about that now.

"How attached are you to this?" Klaus asked, fingering the lace hem framing her ass.

"It was only a few Galle—_hey!_"

"I'll buy you a new one. More than one new one."

She would have rolled her eyes and scoffed if he hadn't plunged two fingers into her pussy, his thumb rubbing her clit while he looked at her face, and she couldn't stop the wanton, _needy _sounds that escaped her as she pushed back against his fingers, making him smirk.

"I love how loud you are for me," he said, his voice low.

"Can't help it," she gasped out. "_Fuck _yes, just like that."

She_ really_ couldn't help how loud her moans and gasps were as she gripped the sheets in her hands, shuddering as she was about to tip over the edge, when his thumb moved away and he changed his strokes to be less rhythmic and slower, pulling his fingers away when she rolled her hips against them.

"Klaus, don't stop, I was about to come."

"I know," he said, pulling his fingers away and licking her juices off of them.

She glared at him, and he just smirked, flipping them so that he was on top. "Spread your legs for me, sweetheart."

"No," she said, flipping them back so that she was on top, sitting up and straddling him, reaching down to stroke his hard cock a few times before sinking on top of him, smirking at Klaus's groan as she took him in.

His hands went to her hips to steady her as he jerked his hips, slamming into her, and she moaned as she bounced on top of him, her head thrown back. She reached down to rub her clit, gasping his name as she rapidly approached her peak.

"That's right, love, scream for me."

She moved so that his thick cock filled her completely with every thrust, and it felt so fucking perfect and _right_, and she was fucking _begging, _she realized, not registering the _please, Klaus, please make me come _until she realized how loudly she was screaming it, and she was so thankful that they'd put a silencing charm on the door or the entire common room would hear how hard and fast he was fucking her and how _good _his cock felt inside her.

And he had that giant smug smirk on his face that she loathed and loved in equal measure, telling her good she felt around him and how beautiful she looked writhing on top of him while he fucked her, and she was _so fucking close _and the feeling of release when she finally tipped over the edge was intense and _perfect._

He pounded into her as she rode out her orgasm, his fingertips digging into her hips so hard that she'd probably have light marks in the morning (not that she cared), and he groaned out her name as he came inside of her, both of their breathing ragged and short.

"Shit," she mumbled, reaching over to the bedside table to grab her wand, and his eyes widened as he realized they'd forgotten the charm. "Don't worry, it works for up to twenty-one hours, remember?"

He nodded, both of them still breathing hard, and he pulled her on top of him, his hands moving along her skin as he dropped soft kisses on her cheek and jaw. They laid there for a while, switching between lazy, drugging kisses and talking.

"Where do you think we'll be in a year?" Caroline asked abruptly.

"From this moment? In much the same position, I should hope."

She scoffed. "Not what I meant and you know it."

"Together. About to graduate," he said, his hands stroking her bare lower back. "Almost ready to win the Quidditch final."

She laughed. "Of course. It's all Quidditch for you."

He shrugged. "Well, I doubt I'll be able to do it after school, so I might as well enjoy it while I can. There's so much discrimination, you know. In addition, I'd have to get sick leave once a month, and there's the possibility of injuries. We've talked about this before."

She nodded. "I just don't see why you're so set on not having hope."

"It's not that I don't have hope, sweetheart. It's that hope is a bit silly to have in this situation. Unless someone invents something that will make the transformation lose its side effects, then—Oh, love, no, don't…"

"What?" Caroline asked innocently.

"That's the plotting face," he said teasingly. "That never indicates good things."

"Well, you know that I need an NEWT potions project."

"You can't be serious. You want to create a potion for that?"

"No, I want to modify the wolfsbane potion. It'll be easier that way. And anyway, that would give me an in with the field I want to go into."

"Right. Arithmancy and Potions combinations for curse-breaking."

She nodded excitedly, bending down to press a kiss to his lips, making him groan softly, his hands moving down to stroke the backs of her legs as his cock stirred against her inner thigh.

"Ready for round two?" she teased. "I thought I tired you ou—"

He flipped them over, pressing his lips roughly against hers before she could finish, grinding against her, making her moan. She reached down to stroke him a few times, her other hand scratching down his lower back as she wrapped her legs around his waist, guiding him to her entrance. Both of them moaned as he pushed in, and she arched her back, moving her head to the side so that he could bite and lick her neck, his balls slapping against her skin as he fucked her hard.

Her breathing was ragged as she pleaded with him to go faster, and she soon clenched around him, moaning his name loudly as she clawed at his back, gasping out his name.

He spilled inside her for the second time that night, collapsing on top of her, and she felt warm and guarded and _safe_.

**XXX**

She stirred in Klaus's arms the next morning, resisting the urge to swear out loud when she realized that she'd fallen asleep in his bed. He was snoring softly beside her, his arms securely pulling her into his chest. She carefully disentangled herself enough to reach for her the bag with her clothes so that she could dress. As she was about to grab them, she realized that it would probably be better to wait until he woke up so that she could borrow his broom to fly back to her room.

She grabbed her floo off the side table, moving slowly so as to not wake her boyfriend, and swiped the side before writing with the tip of her finger to Katherine that she'd be coming through the window soon and to open it to make sure she could get in before trying to decide how to wake Klaus.

She felt his morning erection pressing against her ass, and wondered absently whether the territorialism and protectiveness was supplemented by a higher sex drive while she moved slowly out of his arms and down his body.

She settled in between his legs and wrapped her hand around his cock, stroking him and ghosting her finger over the tip before running her tongue up his length, swirling it around the tip of him before wrapping her lips around him and taking him into her mouth completely until he hit the back of her throat, her head bobbing up and down as she sucked.

He had jerked awake at the first touch of her tongue to his cock, and he was now looking down at her, momentarily confused before he groaned and swore under his breath, his hips jerking up as he thrust into her mouth, making her gag.

"Sorry," he said, his voice husky from sleep as he wound his fingers into her hair. "Suck harder...yes, just like that. You look so fucking hot with my cock in your mouth."

She moaned around him, stroking him faster as her cheeks hollowed, looking up at him, feeling her face flush at the look of pure lust on his face.

"I'm going to come," he warned, groaning as she sucked harder, stroking his balls with the hand that wasn't moving up and down his length in sync with her mouth.

She moved her head down as she felt him stiffen, and swallowed around him, her hand still stroking him through his climax.

She dragged her tongue along his cock as she sat up, moving back on top of him. "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Was that my present?" he teased.

"We decided no presents," she reminded him.

"True," he said, flipping them over so that he was on top, supporting himself on his elbows, kissing down the skin of her jaw and neck. "But it would be rude of me not to reciprocate your not-present."

"Very true," she agreed, moaning as he took a nipple in his mouth, his hand already moving between her legs. "You can do it later, though. Kat's waiting for me."

"She can wait a bit longer."

"I really think—_Oh my god_, never mind, yes, _fuck…_"

**XXX**

"Practical lesson today, everyone," Professor Tonks said, beginning to write instructions on the board. "We're starting the human to object transfigurations today. Can anyone tell me why we're doing objects before animals? Yes, Miss Forbes."

"We're doing objects before animals because animals are sentient beings. Transfiguring yourself or another person into an object doesn't add any other instincts, you just have to make sure that you're able to change yourself back both wandlessly and nonverbally. In contrast, when a person transfigures themselves into an animal, they gain animal instincts in addition to their human ones. Though there are advantages to this, such as the ability to communicate with other animals—"

Caroline stopped abruptly, the solution to Klaus's problem hitting her at once. The entire class was staring at her, though, confused by her abrupt self-interruption.

"Miss Forbes?"

"Oh, sorry. The advantage is the ability to communicate in a limited fashion with other animals, but the downside is that in rare cases, if the human's will isn't strong enough, the animal can take over, and then you'll be stuck that way."

"Good. Ten points to Slytherin," Professor Tonks said, frowning slightly before seeming to reconnect with the class. "Everyone partner up. We're starting with transfiguring hands to nail files. Everyone please take one out of the box here to use for reference."

The class passed quickly, Caroline almost unable to concentrate due to her thoughts being scattered, and Klaus seemed to notice this, because he caught her wrist before she could wave her wand at his hand. "Caroline, what's going on?"  
"Nothing. I'll talk to you about it later."

"Is it about this morning? Because—"

"No, no it's not. I just have to talk to Professor Tonks after the class."

He frowned, looking a bit suspicious. "All right. Shall I wait for you?"

"No. I'll meet you in the study room I showed you."

He nodded before waving his wand, turning Caroline's pinkie into a tiny, perfect nail file.

After class, Caroline gathered up her things and waited for the class to file out, letting Klaus plant a chaste kiss on her cheek before he left. She walked up to Professor Tonks, who turned around.

"No," she said without preamble.

"What do you mean 'No'? I haven't even said anything," Caroline said a bit defensively.

"No, I will not help you become an animagus so that you can run around with your boyfriend in the forest during the full moon. Does that answer your question?"

"Why not? I'll register and everything once I complete the—"

"Because becoming an animagus requires a lot of work, and quite a bit of powerful magic."

"And the war heroes James Potter and Sirius Black—"

"Sirius Black was my cousin. I know perfectly well what he did with his spare time, and he and James were both powerful wizards who had a lot of time on their hands."

"Are you saying I'm not powerful enough?" Caroline asked, bristling.  
"No. You're plenty powerful enough. However, I knew a girl who ran around with a werewolf, and it did not end well for her."

"Are you talking about your daughter, because—"

"Five points from Slytherin," Professor Tonks said firmly. "I'll thank you not to ask about my personal life."

"You just volunteered information about your personal—"

"Another five points."

"You know that if you don't help me, I'll do it anyway, and I might hurt myself by accident. Are you really willing to let that happen?"

Caroline knew the story of Andromeda Tonks, and the misfortune that chased her. She'd been disinherited by her parents for marrying a muggle-born, who then died along with their daughter in the Second War. Now, there was only Theodore Tonks, who was a first year Gryffindor. The rumor was that Professor Tonks would have to leave at the end of the school year to prevent a conflict of interest.

Despite the struggles she'd faced, though, Professor Tonks remained a parent, no matter that her daughter had died, and Caroline was willing to capitalize on that.

"Fine," the other woman said, a bit harshly. "Brew the revealing potion and come here on Wednesday."

"Thank you so mu—"

"You may not have a form," Professor Tonks interrupted. "That happens about a third of the time. Many people can't achieve even that part of the transformation. After that, it will require a lot of hard work and dedication, and will probably take until you graduate. At least."

"Cool. I'm in. I'll bring the potion on Wednesday. Thanks Professor Tonks!" Caroline said cheerfully, leaving as fast as she could.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you liked the chapter :) Any predictions on what's going to happen next? What do you think will happen when the werewolf law goes to vote again? Did you like the smut? What do you think about Caroline's discoveries about Klaus, and do you think her solution will work? What do you think about her conversation with Professor Tonks?  
This story only has a few chapters left, so I'm excited for you to get to see what I do with the rest of it :)  
Hugs!  
-Angie**


	11. Truth Uncovered

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. A lot happens in this chapter, so I hope it makes up for it.  
****Thank you to Wifey and cupcakemolotov for help with this one.  
Enjoy!  
-Angie**

* * *

"Hey," Caroline said cheerfully, slinging her leg over Klaus's lap to straddle him on the couch of the study room and kissing him softly.

"Considering your mood seems to have improved exponentially in the last ten minutes, I'm going to assume that whatever you wanted to talk to Tonks about went well?"

"Yeah. Guess what?"

"You're going to become an animagus," he said dryly.

"Good guess," she said, mildly impressed.

"It was incredibly obvious from the way you stopped in the middle of your answer. You should work on that."

She bristled. "Well excuse me for wanting to do something nice."

"I was only teasing, sweetheart."

She gave him a skeptical look.

"Either way, I hope you're not doing this to accompany me on the full moons, because—"

"Contrary to what you seem to believe, not everything is about you," she said grumpily. "Yes, that's part of it, but it will give me a huge amount of bonus points on my transfiguration NEWT."

He nodded slowly, his hands stroking her lower back under her blouse almost absentmindedly.

"All right, sweetheart," he said placatingly. "I'm still not quite sure it would be a good idea for you to come out with me should you decide to do so."

"Let's see what my form is, and then we can decide, okay? If it's something like a bunny, then you're right, that probably wouldn't be a good idea."

He snorted derisively. "A bunny…"

"What? They're cute."

"Somehow your determination, stubbornness, and fire don't exactly scream 'bunny' to me."

"What do you think I'll be?"  
"There is no right answer to that question," he said immediately, and her lips twitched.

"I'm not that easily annoyed."

He gave her a rather dubious look, but shrugged. "Honestly, I'm not sure."

"Okay."

She kissed him before burying her face in the crook of his neck. She felt him smile, his arms wrapping around her, squeezing her lightly. "I'm sorry that I fell asleep on you," she said, moving a bit so that he could hear her.

"I didn't mind in the least."

Her lips curled into a smile. "I have a question, though."

"That's never a good start to a conversation," he teased.

"Well, it's really just a continuation of a previous conversation."

He gave her a reproachful look. "All right. What is it, love?"

"So, you showed me your sketch of me, but you didn't really tell me anything else, and I was just wondering–"

"Honestly, I'm not sure you want to know."

"What do you mean? Of course I want to know."

"Fine, but don't laugh."

"Why would I laugh?"

He huffed and she shifted in his lap, carefully swinging her leg over so that she was cuddled against his chest, her feet on the armrest of the couch. "Tell me."

"Well, it was the end of fourth year, and you were studying for exams."

"And?"

"You were explaining something to Katerina–"

"Katherine," Caroline interrupted.

"_Katherine_ about Potions. You just looked so...alive. So, I sketched you. I wasn't exactly subtle about it, but you didn't notice. Anyway, Marcel looked over my shoulder and proceeded to tease me mercilessly about it until the end of the year. He made all sorts of comments in your presence that sounded perfectly innocent, but had quite a lot of meaning behind them."

"Why's that embarrassing?"

He shrugged. "Well, I covered it up by being a complete prick to you just in case Marcel decided to say something, because that way you wouldn't take him seriously. Not my best plan, I'll admit, but it worked."

"No, it really wasn't. I thought you hated me."

"Quite the opposite."

"Well I know that _now_."

He just smiled.

"Will I get to see your other sketches of me?"

"Maybe another time," he said evasively.

"All right. As long as there are none of me naked."

"If there were, they'd hypothetically be at the bottom of my trunk sealed in a lockbox," he said.

"Oh my god, Klaus, you didn't."

"Don't be angry, love."

"You can't just keep naked pictures of me, Klaus!"

"They're not pictures. They're sketches, and they don't have your face, _and_ no one will ever see them."

"Fine," she said, her voice clipped. "As long as you promise that no one sees and they stay at the bottom of your trunk."

"I promise."

"Good."

**XXX**

Andromeda Tonks pressed her lips together when Caroline walked into the room for her lesson, potion in hand. "Thanks again for doing this," Caroline said, feeling a bit uncomfortable at her teacher's coldness.

"I don't appreciate your methods to obtain my agreement, but I must admit that you have the ability to do the spell."

She waved her wand and an overstuffed mattress appeared on the floor. "Please take the potion and lie down. You'll be pulled into a dream-like state. You may have no form, or you may have one. In rare cases, people are shown more than one form, but it has been proven almost irrefutably that a person may only learn one form, so you'd have to pick."

"Okay."

"In some cases, people who don't have a form will take the potion later in life and have one. Some even take the potion, don't learn the spell, and then their form changes. I'd like you to keep that in mind if you aren't entirely happy with the form you're shown. All right?"

"Okay," Caroline said nodding.

"May I see the potion? I would like to make sure that it is brewed correctly before you take it."

Caroline obligingly handed over the bottle, and Professor Tonks inspected it carefully. "It looks fine. Let's get started."

Caroline sat down and took a deep breath before downing the potion and lying down. She almost immediately felt her eyes become heavy, and her breathing evened.

It was an odd experience. She could feel that she was asleep, but she was still alert.

She was floating gently through space, air pressing into her from all sides, an odd stifling sensation seeping into her skin. She felt her skin itch horribly, a hot prickling sensation erupting along her flesh, and she was uncomfortably hot.

Her bones were aching as though someone was tugging them away, trying to press them down, and she wondered if the vision was making her transform. Was this what it felt like to change into an animal?

Suddenly, the scent of trees and dirt overwhelmed her, her ears twitching as she felt the earth underneath her as though she was wearing a cushioned glove that could still feel texture.

She felt muscles move that she didn't know she had, parts of her body aching that she'd never noticed existed, and she realized that she had a tail.

The scene solidified and she was still hyper-aware of the changes in her body, though she was watching a fox sitting down. She moved her hand, and its paw moved.

It was the weirdest thing she'd ever felt, like looking in a mirror. She wondered what her animagus mark would be, and her question was answered when she made eye contact with the fox, and saw her own clear blue eyes staring back.

**XXX**

"And it's Young with the Quaffle. Passes to Deveraux, passed back to Young, intercepted by Branson. Branson with the Quaffle, flying at high speed towards the Hufflepuff end of the pitch, _scores! _That's thirty-ten to Gryffindor!"

Caroline snuggled into Klaus's side as he followed the match closely, his eyes darting around the pitch. She'd tried to talk to him once or twice, but his vague nods and hums of agreement made her give up, and so she just sat there enjoying his body heat watching Hufflepuff get soundly thrashed by the Gryffindors.

The Chasers were pretty evenly matched, but Bree, the Hufflepuff Keeper, was a lot less experienced than Stefan. Elena and Anna, the Seekers, were both flying search patterns above the field, though Caroline doubted that they'd see the Snitch for quite awhile.

Klaus was clearly tired. The full moon had been the night before, and he was still recovering. He tended to be a lot more touchy-feely around the day, and she wasn't complaining. She liked cuddling, especially in February when it was 40 degrees out (Fahrenheit, obviously, the _right _system).

She watched as Elena dived down to the ground, her hair flying behind her, and Anna followed immediately, only to veer off-course, clearly having recognized the other girl's Wronski Feint, and spiraling off to the other end of the pitch.

She refreshed the warming charm around her and Klaus before turning her attention to the Chasers, who were still moving as a perfectly synchronized group.

"We should practice the Pincer a bit more next year. The Gryffindors tend to use the Hawkshead Formation a lot," she said, causing Klaus to turn to face her, eyebrow raised. "What?" she asked, a bit irritated by his surprised expression.

He just grinned and turned back to the game. "You're right, love."

"Why do you look so happy? You knew that I know about Quidditch."

"Of course I did, but this means that you're planning on joining the team next year."

"I told you that."

"No, you said you'd think about it, which is completely different."

"Okay, well, I'm confirming now, then."

She resisted the urge to laugh as he couldn't wipe the smug smile off his face for the rest of the game, though he clearly tried. When Elena finally caught the Snitch (ending the game with Gryffindor's impressive lead of 310-40), Klaus took her hand and they joined the rush of students exiting the stands.

"Oi, Mikaelson!"

Klaus turned around to see Oliver Wood walk towards him.

"Hello," Klaus said cautiously, shaking the other man's offered hand.

"I was just stopping by to see how Matt Donovan was doing, but I wanted to let you know that I'm planning on attending the game against Hufflepuff in May. There might be a few other scouts, but I do hope you'll consider Puddlemere."

"Thanks," Klaus said, clearly at a bit of a loss as to what to say.

Oliver gave him a slightly sympathetic smile. "Don't worry. I was the same way when Philbert came to my last game," he said. "Looking forward to seeing you at the summer session, yeah?"

"Yeah," Klaus said, nodding.

Oliver turned to Caroline. "Hello. Caroline Forbes, right?"

"Um, yeah," Caroline said, a bit startled that Oliver Wood knew who she was.

"I saw your interview in the Prophet. Very brave of you."

"Thanks," she said, a bit uncertainly.

"You should know that there are lots of people on the right side of this debate. Off the record, you're not alone."

"Thanks," Caroline said again.

"'Course. Well, good to see you again, mate, and nice to meet you, Caroline."

"Good to see you, too."

Oliver nodded and walked towards the front gates, and Klaus stood rooted to the spot, clearly still a bit shocked by the conversation. Caroline patiently waited for him to get himself together, a small smile on her face.

**XXX**

"So I heard from Nadia yesterday," Katherine said quietly, not looking up from her textbook.

"How's she doing?" Caroline asked hesitantly.

Katherine shrugged. "Fine. She hasn't relapsed, so that's good."

"Well, that's great."

Katherine nodded. "Yeah, they think she might be well enough to come to the game in a few weeks."

"I hope she gets to."

"Me too. I mean, I know I probably shouldn't care–"

"It makes sense, Kat. You miss her."

"Sure. Can you explain why lavender is the only essence that you can't use in a skin-melting potion?"

Caroline resisted the urge to roll her eyes and inform Katherine that she didn't have to be allergic to feelings, instead launching into an explanation of the arithmatic properties of lavender and how it was just different enough from the other essences that it would counteract the belladonna, creating a odorless poisonous gas. Katherine nodded as she talked, scribbling down points in her notes and asking questions.

Her lecture was interrupted by the common room door sliding open to Damon...humming.

Humming.

Caroline exchanged a confused look with Katherine as Damon walked into the common room with an extra bounce in his step (which never meant anything good). "Hey, Kitty-kat," he said cheerfully.

Katherine didn't look up as she continued taking notes on what Caroline had last said. "What?" she asked irritably.

"Guess who broke up with Stefan?"

"Considering that Stefan was dating my sister, I'm assuming my sister."

"Ding ding ding! Ten points to Slytherin."

Katherine gave him a disgusted curl of her lip before turning back to her book.

"Bonus question: Guess who your sister is dating now?"

"Judging by the absurdly gleeful look on your face, I'm going to guess you," she said dryly.

"You're on a roll, Kitty-kat."

Katherine pulled out her wand and stunned him without looking up, and Caroline tried to push down a smile as Damon fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Well that was rather rude of you," Klaus said from behind them, sounding amused.

"I live for being rude. It's my favorite hobby," Katherine said, giving Klaus a large fake smile.

"Right, well, I was just wondering if you wanted to come out for a fly. I need to practice."

"You, practice?" Caroline asked with an exaggerated gasp.

"Yes. Me, practice," he said exasperatedly. "If you'd help, that would be great. Katerina as well, if you're willing."

"Sure," Caroline said. "Let me grab my stuff."

Katherine stood up as well, dropping her book unceremoniously into her bag and hauling it over her shoulder. "Well, it's not like I have anything better to do.

**XXX**

The rest of the month passed quickly, the February cold starting to give way to the beginning of Spring, and Caroline could tell that Klaus had been struggling to remain focused. Their Quidditch match against Hufflepuff was in early May, only a few days after the law went up for vote on the 31st of April, and he was throwing himself into preparation for that.

As a result, the Slytherin Quidditch team was overworked, and Caroline found herself listening to Katherine's tirades about how Klaus's expectations were ridiculous and could she please talk some sense into her boyfriend, since he wasn't even the _captain_?

She'd thought that this was the reason Enzo asked to talk to her and Klaus in the common room the day before Easter Break, and Caroline frowned when he told her that it wasn't about Quidditch, a nervous look on his face. They walked out to an empty classroom, and Enzo asked if he could put a muffling charm up.

"Before you say anything, I need you to promise that you'll hear me out," he said, sitting down on one of the desks.

"Hear you out?" she asked, frowning. "Hear you out about what?"

He took a deep breath. "I need your help."

Caroline raised her eyebrows. _Her _help? Klaus looked equally incredulous.

"And I owe you an apology," he continued.

"Damn right," Klaus mumbled.

"Not for what you think," he said, his face serious, before he winced. "Well, I suppose both, really. Yes, Caroline, sorry for being a prick to you, but in my defense, I wasn't _actually _jealous."

"What?"

"Mikaelson-not you, Mikaelson, your father-sent me a letter a month or two before we...well, before I started acting like a prat. He threatened Maggie and told me that I had to keep you away from Mik-Klaus. He needed your father to stay an ally, and he thought that if you started dating Klaus you'd convince your father to back off on the bill."

She saw Klaus's face harden out of the corner of her eye, and voiced the thought that he was probably having. "_What_? Why didn't you tell anyone? Are you _crazy_?"

"Because he would have killed her."

"Well, it's a good thing your plan didn't work–"

"Of course it didn't work, that was on purpose. To be honest, I'm surprised you lasted that long considering how hard I was trying to be an absolute wanker."

"I really liked you," Caroline said, a bit defensively, putting a hand on Klaus's when she felt him stiffen next to her.

"And I really liked you," he said, shooting a nervous look at Klaus, who was glowering at him. "I hated myself for ruining that. I know that I never told you, but I loved you, Caroline."

Klaus looked like he was about to say something, but Enzo rushed on before he could. "Right then," he said, sighing and lacing his fingers together. "So, I tried to get you to break up with me while simultaneously making it look like I was trying to keep you away from him. Thankfully, your father seemed to buy into my fake incompetence–"

"I wonder why-_Ouch_."

Caroline glared at Klaus as she elbowed him harshly in the side (adding a muttered '_seriously?'_) before turning to Enzo.

"I'm sorry, Enzo," she said, a bit hesitantly, and his lips quirked slightly.

"We haven't even gotten to the bad part yet."

"We...we haven't?" she asked, and Klaus's gaze was locked on Enzo, cold and calculating.

He let out a sharp breath. "No. We haven't. He made a last ditch effort and told me to sabotage the wolfsbane and Imperious you to go find Klaus in the forest when he was transformed."

"Excuse me?" Klaus growled, and Caroline could tell how close he was to losing his temper.

"It didn't happen," Enzo said quickly, clearly recognizing the same warning signs as Caroline. "I didn't even bother touching your wolfsbane. It would be too risky, and I didn't want to accidentally poison you."

"Well, thanks for that," Klaus said, his dry tone still managing to convey how angry he was.

"I just used a Confundus charm, _and _I was incredibly obvious about it. I wanted you to know that there was someone after you."

Caroline took a deep, shuddering breath. "So what you're saying is that a high-ranking man in a political position was threatening your sister with death if you didn't sabotage the lives of his son and another representative's child, and you _told no one_?"

"Would they have believed me?" Enzo asked hotly.

She deflated. "Probably not. Why are you telling me this now?"

He sighed. "Tatia found out something about Mikael–"

"Tatia?" Klaus asked, his voice cold.

Enzo shook his head. "That's not important right now. The point is that she's taking the whole incident to the press, and the story will probably come out. I wanted you to hear it from me first. Look, I don't expect you to forgive me-"

"Damn right, I won't," Caroline interrupted, and Enzo gave her a small smile, just making her more upset because _who the fuck does that_.

Klaus put a hand on her knee and turned to Enzo, clearly just as angry as she was, but trying to keep his voice calm. "So, why did you start off with you needing our help?"

"Tatia and I have a plan to take down Mikael. We need your help to make it work."

"A plan that's bigger than taking what he did to the press?" Klaus asked.

"We think he'll pay off the press to keep it quiet. It's not as though he doesn't have the money for that. Er...no offense, Mikaelson."

"None taken," Klaus said, seeming to be moving rapidly from angry to tired.

Caroline looked at Klaus, who ran a hand through his hair. "Your choice," Caroline said to him simply, squeezing his hand.

Klaus looked at Enzo and took a deep breath. "What do you need us to do?"

**XXX**

"Hey, Carebear."

Caroline smiled at her dad over the mobile floo. "Hey. I want to talk to you about something."

"All right."

"I need you to withdraw your support for the legislation."

"Caroline, we've talked about–"

"Hear me out, dad. Please."

He was silent, looking at her expectantly, and she took a deep breath. "I know that you're supporting it because of a political alliance. I get that. However, I need you to trust me when I say that this law is not about Henrik."

"What do you mean?"

"You know why Mikael is pushing the law, right?"

"Because his son was killed by werewolves," Bill said slowly.

"Right. So...Here's the thing... My boyfriend Klaus, you remember him, right?"

"Yes," Bill said shortly.

"Right, so, that night that Henrik was attacked, Klaus was supposed to be watching him."

"Okay," Bill said slowly. "So, I assume that he left Henrik alone?"

"No. Klaus tried to fight the wolf and got bitten. He managed to stun it, but it was too late for Henrik, and he died."

"So, what you're saying is that I should withdraw my support because your boyfriend is a werewolf?"

"No. Well, yes, but not only because of that. You should withdraw it because Mikael isn't doing it for selfless reasons. Yes, one of his sons was killed by a werewolf, but he is literally trying to pass an _international_ law that makes his own child a monster no matter what country he's in. He's trying to prevent Klaus from having a good life by any means possible. The discrimination against werewolves is still incredibly prevalent in most career paths, and Mikael is trying to make sure that Klaus has _nothing_."

Bill was quiet for a moment, giving her an assessing gaze before he spoke. "Caroline, I understand that this seems like a great miscarriage of justice right now, but when you're older, I'm sure you'll understand that occasionally the needs of the many require the sacrifices of–"

"Yes, it's a miscarriage of justice, and I'm really fucking angry about that."

"Caroline, don't use that sort of language–"

"I can use any language I want. I am an adult."

"Yes, you're acting very adult-like right now," Bill said sarcastically.

"I just don't understand why you can't see that what you're doing is wrong," Caroline said, her voice climbing in pitch as she spoke. "How can you sit there and participate in what is clearly the first step on a slippery slope of causing massive–"

"Caroline, I know the consequences of my actions, and I will thank you not to question my ability to think through my own decisions."

Caroline felt her eyes fill with tears, her face heating as her throat closed up. "And what if I was one?" she burst out.

"I beg your pardon?"

"What if I'd got bitten? Would you still vote for this law?"

"Were you?" he asked quickly.

"Almost."

"What happened? Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't the school tell me?"

"Mikael threatened someone to make Klaus's Wolfsbane not work and then cast a Confundus charm on me."

"That's ridiculous, why would Mikael–"

"To gain last minute support before the vote. The full moon was right before the law was voted on, it would have caused shock value."

"It still makes no sense. Why would he want you to get bitten? Wouldn't that have been counter-productive if he was trying to make sure I voted for the law?"

"I don't think he wanted me to get bitten, Dad," Caroline said quietly.

"Caroline, you can't possibly be implying that he was trying to make his son kill you."

"He was, and I have proof."

**XXX**

"Katherine, can I talk to you?" Stefan asked quietly, making Caroline and Katherine both freeze and turn around.

Everyone had just gotten back from Easter Break the day before, and Caroline knew for a fact that Katherine had spent the entire time avoiding Elena and her constant complaining about how both brothers liked her and how was she supposed to _pick _because it wasn't her fault she fell in an _epic_ _love _with Damon, but she loved Stefan too and _woe is Elena_.

"If this is about my sister-"

"It's not about Elena."

"Yeah, sure," Katherine said stiffly. "I'll catch up with you in a minute, Care."

"Okay. I'll wait for you at the end of the hall," Caroline said, the threat to Stefan should he try anything clear in her voice.

Katherine nodded, and Caroline caught her making one of their Chaser signals behind her back that they used for playing defensively. Caroline nodded to show that she understood and walked behind Stefan to a few doors down the hall, grabbing an Extendable Ear that she'd bought early in the year, disillusioning it and letting it approach Katherine and Stefan.

"What do you need Stefan?" Katherine asked.

"So, I talked to Lexi, and she said that I've been a huge asshole to you."

_Yeah, no shit._

Katherine raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Well, you were always really abrasive, and so I thought you hated me. I dated Elena because she was the next best thing, I guess, and I was wondering if you'd consider going to Hogsmeade with me at some point."

Caroline's jaw dropped. How _dare _he imply that he was using her sister and then ask her out. Katherine had always been a bit blind where Stefan was concerned, though, and Caroline winced when she saw the conflicted look in Katherine's eyes before her jaw set.

"No."

"I-what? What do you mean 'no'?"

"I don't know, Stefan. What does 'no' usually mean? Oh, right, it means it's _not going to happen._ I will not go out with you because you want someone that looks like Elena. Even if you are telling the truth, and you've always liked me, then I won't go out with someone who _used _my sister because they didn't have the balls to ask me out themselves. I said no, and you're going to respect that."

"But Katherine-"

"No. I thought I liked you, Stefan, but I don't. I think I liked the idea of you. I liked the _idea _of a noble guy who always does the right thing, a guy who would love me without any strings attached. Frankly, I don't think I ask for much. Wanting a guy who treats me well is a low bar. There is something wrong with you if you can't reach it. I have been pining after you for _years_, and the Stefan I wanted...He doesn't exist. I can do better than you, Stefan. I can do better, and I _will_ do better. You are wasting my time. Goodbye."

Caroline resisted the urge to slow-clap.

**XXX**

It was the day of the final vote for the werewolf proposal, and Klaus had been jittery all day. Caroline didn't blame him, but his knee bouncing while his foot tapped on the floor was starting to get on her nerves. She finally grabbed his knee and held it still, squeezing it gently and giving him a sympathetic smile. "Klaus, I need you to go for a fly or something, please. Do something relaxing. If you want I'll go with you, but I can't study like this."

"Sorry, love," he said, running a hand through his hair.

"It'll be fine," she said soothingly, patting his thigh and returning to her work, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear and biting her lip.

"I think I will go for a fly, actually," he said, getting up. "Do you want to come to the pitch with me? You can sit in the stands and do work."

She got the feeling that he just didn't want to be alone, so she nodded and gathered her books while he grabbed his broom, following him down the halls to the front doors. They walked hand in hand, Klaus silent and contemplative, and she just spent the entire time hoping that she was right. That it would be fine.

He flew for awhile while she studied, and when he finally landed, his hair windswept, he sat with her in the stands, his arm around her while he read her animagus notes over her shoulder.

"You know, I can just copy them and you can read them yourself," she said, turning to face him.

They were nose to nose, his breath hot on her face, and he smiled at her.

"Or you could just tell me how far along you are."

She shrugged. "Not very. Professor Tonks was right. It's a lot of work. I have to study fox anatomy and be able to visualize everything perfectly, and also do a bunch of meditation. I'm trying my best, though."

"You don't have to–"

"I know," she interrupted. "Please stop saying that. I want to."

He nodded, staying silent, eventually pulling out his mobile floo and texting while she read over her notes. Her floo still hadn't chimed when they walked back to the common room just before curfew, and when it finally did, she pulled it out eagerly.

_Filibuster. Probably won't go to vote until early morning._

"Fuck," she muttered. "Mikael and his supporters are doing that thing where they talk a bill to death until they can get the votes for it."

Klaus winced. "When do you think it'll go to vote?"

"My dad says early morning. The last time this happened was for the international ban on manticore eggs, remember? They all took pepper-ups and the debate went for thirty-six hours straight."

"I don't remember, but I'll take your word for it."

"Do you want to go to bed?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep."

She nodded. She was exhausted, but she didn't want to leave him when he was stressed. He seemed to understand where her thoughts were, because he smiled slightly, shaking his head. "Go to bed, Caroline. I'll be fine."

"I'm not tired," she lied, her point undermined when she yawned about three seconds later.

Klaus gave her an amused look. "It's all right, love."

"No, I want to stay."

"Stubborn."

"You love it," she said, sinking down on the common room couch.

He sat next to her, and she snuggled into his side, letting her eyes close. "If you're determined to stay, why don't you sleep here?" he suggested.

"'Kay," she mumbled. "Wake me up if I get a text."

"Of course, love."

**XXX**

She woke up exactly where she'd fallen asleep, listening to the thump of Klaus's heartbeat. He moved under her when she stirred, his face pale from lack of sleep. "Hey," he said, his voice gravelly.

"Hey."

"It's six-thirty," he said. "Would you like to go get ready, and then we can walk down to breakfast?"

She nodded, rubbing her eyes and getting up. "I didn't get a floo message, did I?"

"No, sweetheart."

"Okay. I'll be right back. You should go get ready too. Not showering won't change anything about whether the law passes."

"Are you saying I smell?" he asked, his lips twitching.

"No. I'm just implying it."

He laughed. "All right. I'll meet you down here in a few minutes."

After showering, Caroline felt much more awake, and Klaus looked a lot less tired when she met him at the bottom of the staircase. They walked down to the hall together in silence, and Klaus seemed to tense up as soon as they entered the hall.

Caroline's floo chimed, and she pulled it out, looking at the text from her father.

_Can't say anything until press release. Check the Prophet._

She relayed the news to Klaus, who nodded, picking at his sausage with a fork.

They both looked up when the owls flew in, and Caroline grabbed the paper from the one that landed in front of her, looking at the front page, intense relief flowing through her for just a moment before she felt her stomach sink. This was an unexpected development.

"Well, I have good news and bad news," she said quietly. "Which do you want first?"

"Good news," he said quickly.

"Law didn't pass. It was only about three votes short, though."

"What's the bad news, love?"

She handed him the paper, and his face paled.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I would love to know your thoughts on this chapter :) I'm a bit worried, because the last chapter got a lot less reviews than it usually does. I'm honestly not worried about the review count, I just want to make sure that there isn't something going wrong that I'm not seeing. Remember, I won't know if there's something going off the rails with the story if you guys don't tell me. I live for feedback, including constructive criticism, so please don't be afraid to tell me what you think!**

**I'd also love to know what you thought of Enzo's confession? Does anyone have any guesses about how Tatia's involved in all of this? What do you think of Caroline's animagus form? What do you think about Katherine's conversation with Stefan? And, debatably the most important thing, what do you think was the front page news? ;)**

**Can't wait to hear from you guys!  
Hugs!  
-Angie**


	12. The Fall of Mikael Mikaelson

**A/N: I would say that I'm sorry for the cliffhanger, but I'm not... ;)  
Thank you to Wifey, Sophie, and D for betaing.  
Enjoy!**  
**-Angie**

* * *

Caroline had only briefly glanced at the headlines, but she watched Klaus's face as he read the articles, his skin progressively paling until he looked like he might be sick. He set down the paper and left without a word, not turning back when she got up to call after him.

"He needs to be alone for a bit," Rebekah said quietly from behind her. "He does that when he's upset. To process, you know."

"Right," Caroline said faintly, turning back to the table, though she didn't feel much like eating. She picked up the newspaper again to read the articles more thoroughly.

_Werewolf Law Rejected_

_by Terry Boot, Political Reporter_

_By a very narrow margin, the Werewolf Regulation Act was rejected by the majority of the country representatives belonging to the International Confederation of Wizards. The highly publicized debate has been a bitter fight for the last year and a half, and in a surprise move, William Forbes, one of the proposals' staunchest supporters, voted against the bill. When asked about it, he cited 'personal reasons', and would give no additional information._

_The initial response by the British Ministry has been overwhelmingly positive, despite the fact that the country is represented by the main author of the law._

_For those that have not been following the debate, a summary of the proposal and the history of the debate, as well as editorials for and against the bill written by war heroine Hermione Granger of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Order of Merlin - First Class (against), and Zacharias Smith, President of the Wizard Protection Council (for) may be found on page D3._

_Mikael Mikaelson Speaks Out: Exclusive Post-Vote Interview_

_by Rita Skeeter, Staff Writer_

_I had the pleasure of obtaining an exclusive interview with Mikael Mikaelson, the most active proponent and primary author of the Werewolf Regulation Act, just after the final decision was made. With the glitter of righteous fury in his eye, he agreed to give this humble reporter his reasoning behind his emotional reaction, as well as some previously unannounced news._

_Daily Prophet: Please tell our readers of your initial intention with writing this proposal._

_Mikael Mikaelson: The act was written in my efforts to protect the community from dangerous creatures, a cause I have been actively advocating for quite awhile now._

_DP: Would you share your reasons for your strong feelings about the subject?_

_MM: Just two years ago, my youngest son fell victim to a vicious werewolf attack. This year would have been his first year at Hogwarts, and our family still feels the loss of him acutely every single day._

_DP: So he must have been just a child when this happened._

_MM: Yes._

_DP: How did this attack occur?_

_MM: I can only assume that the werewolf in question was lax in taking his potion, which caused it to become feral when the moon rose. Just because the Ministry uses our tax money to fund free Wolfsbane potions does not mean that they are used responsibly, and many werewolves refuse to take them. This presents a danger to the entire community, and it disappoints me that my fellow representatives are unable to see this problem for what it is._

_DP: Was the werewolf ever apprehended?_

_MM: No. One of the children, Niklaus, managed to fight it off after Henrik was killed, and was bitten in the process. He was unable to save Henrik or himself._

_DP: Why did you write this law if it would apply to one of your own children?  
MM: It does not apply to one of my own children. Niklaus is a monster, and he died the day that he became one. As a representative of this country, I must ensure that I protect my fellow citizens as best I can. It is my job to make this country safe from the animals that reside here, and that includes him._

_DP: Some might say that you go too far. What would you say to them?_

_MM: I firmly believe that the needs of the many outweigh the sacrifices of the few, and the sacrifice of a monster that was a human I once knew is of no consequence. If I had my way, the werewolves would be put in a colony to protect the public and allow them a place to reside where they do not endanger others. _

_DP: The proposed act did not have that rule included, is that correct?  
MM: No, but I believe that too much change at once can be jarring, and beginning with ensuring the safety of citizens in the workplace and in school is of the utmost importance._

_DP: Is there anything else you wish to say?_

_MM: I believe that I have made my feelings on the subject perfectly clear._

Caroline felt angry tears prick at her eyes by the time she finished the article, and she realized that she'd been fingering her wand without noticing, causing it to send out sparks, making the cloth of her robes that it had been touching char and smoke.

Rebekah was eyeing her with some trepidation, though she looked just as furious as Caroline felt, and when Caroline spoke, she was impressed with how even her voice was. "How long will he need?"

"Nik? Judging by the article, probably a few hours at the least. It's lucky that it's Sunday, really, or I'm sure he would have skipped class."

"Okay," Caroline said quietly, gritting her teeth and standing up, marching up to the head table, where all the professors were speaking in urgent tones. "Professor Slughorn?"

"Yes, m'dear?" he asked, his voice not at all as warm as it usually was, and he looked angrier than she'd ever seen him.

"May I speak with you privately?"

He nodded, standing up from the table and gesturing to the small door behind the staff table. The room was small, and she sat down on one of the couches, twisting her hands nervously. "What are…" she started, trailing off, unable to choke out the words, though Slughorn gave her a nod to show that he understood.

"I assure you that Mr. Mikaelson's situation will be handled with the utmost care and attention. I advise that you follow his lead in how to respond, lending support when possible. My suspicion is that he will want to continue on as normally as possible and pretend the incident didn't occur, but you and I both know, I'm sure, that pretending everything is well is not a viable long-term solution. I will see to it that the staff do their best to prevent confrontation between him and other students, but Mr. Mikaelson is rather short-tempered, as you know, and I fear the he may respond violently if provoked."

"Probably," Caroline admitted, feeling panic well up inside her, the feeling overwhelming her usual emotional capacity, and she was unable to stop her tears from starting, and once they started she couldn't stop them.

She felt like she had no right to be as upset as she was, but she just felt so helpless and out of control and it _hurt _that she had no power to do anything. Honestly, all she wanted to do was march to Mikael Mikaelson's office at the Ministry and jinx him to within an inch of his life.

Would Azkaban be worth it?

She honestly was much closer to a 'yes' than was probably appropriate.

Slughorn seemed completely unfazed by her sobbing (unlike 99% of males), simply walking over to sit a foot or so away, patting her shoulder lightly. "He'll get through it, m'dear. He's a fighter, that one."

She choked out an almost hysterical laugh, tears still streaming down her face. "Yeah."

"I understand that this seems to have affected you deeply," Slughorn said rather clinically, something she was thankful for. "Would you prefer to be excused from classes for the next few days?"

She tried to wipe at her eyes, despite the fact that tears were still streaming out, shaking her head. "No. It's fine. I'll be fine."

Slughorn looked like he might refute her statement for a moment, but then simply nodded. "If you change your mind and decide you'd like to make arrangements, I'll be in my office until dinner."

"Okay. Thanks."

He nodded. "Would you prefer to have a few moments alone to collect yourself?"

She nodded, her tears slowing. He left, closing the door softly behind him, and she pulled her powder mirror out of her purse, looking at her face, which was red and felt rough and cracked. She pulled out her wand and did a simple moisturizing charm before evening her skin tone a bit and manually applying smudge-correcting eyeliner.

Looking good always made her feel good, and she needed all the help she could get.

She wondered when Klaus would be ready to see her, and decided that she'd give him until lunchtime and then bring him something. Hopefully he would be willing to at least see her, though she doubted that he'd want to talk about anything at all.

**XXX**

She managed to find him easily enough. After checking the Quidditch pitch (which was really her second guess, since she doubted he'd want to be somewhere so public) she found him on his bed. The plate of food floated behind her, heated with a warming charm, and he looked up. "I don't want to talk about it, Caroline."

"Then don't," she said, directing his plate to his bedside table and moving towards him.

"Or have sex," he added.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm heartbroken. Truly. I just thought you could use some silent, cuddleable company."

"I don't cuddle," he said, even as he moved aside.

"Liar."

She smiled at him as she kicked off her shoes, climbing fully clothed beside him and pressing herself against him, and he wrapped his arms around her, burying his nose in her hair.

They laid there for about an hour, not speaking, just enjoying the feel of each other, and she wasn't surprised when Klaus's breathing eventually evened, indicating he'd fallen asleep.

**XXX**

Klaus stabbed his eggs with a fork, not bringing them to his mouth, simply shredding them to bits with the tongs, and Caroline gently reached over to pry the fork out of his hands. "It'll be fine," she said.

It was the day after the articles came out, and Klaus had walked to breakfast as though it was going to be the location of his execution, staring off into space, though he held tightly to her hand the whole time. They were now at their house table and people were trickling in.

Both she and Klaus bristled at the stares coming from all over the hall as people filed towards the tables, and Klaus stared determinedly down at his plate, his jaw twitching, clearly trying to rein in his temper.

It wasn't until the hall was mostly full, though quite a bit quieter than usual, when Kevin, a Ravenclaw from the year below them, walked up to Klaus and cleared his throat awkwardly. Klaus closed his eyes, clearly exasperated but resigned, and turned around, remaining silent and just staring at the boy, who looked a bit nervous and didn't say anything until Klaus impatiently spoke. "What is it?"

"Can I touch your face?"

Kai, who was sitting a few feet away, clearly couldn't restrain a somewhat inappropriately timed snort of derision, and Caroline shot him an exasperated look before turning back to what she was sure was going to be an unfortunate incident.

"Beg pardon?"

"My Dad told me once that werewolves have weird stubble, and–"

Klaus seemed torn between horror, fury, and amusement, and Caroline stepped in, completely unable to believe that someone could actually be this _stupid._

"This is not the Klaus Mikaelson Petting Zoo," she snapped, making Kevin look up at her in surprise.

"Unless you're Caroline," Katherine chipped in, clearly trying to lighten the mood, making pretty much everyone within earshot roll their eyes or groan, and Rebekah gagged exaggeratedly.

Klaus's lips twitched though, and he nudged her lightly with his foot. "Yes, Caroline. Feel free to pet me all you want."

She felt her face heat, and she elbowed him a bit harder than she meant to in the side, causing him to wince.

"You're such a dick," she mumbled, and he just gave her a cheeky grin, reaching for some toast.

Well, at least he was eating now.

Kevin just stood there, looking a bit irritated. "I was just asking."

"If you come near me again, I'll bite you," Klaus mumbled, and Kevin went pale.

"No he won't," Caroline hastened to reassure the other boy, giving Klaus an exasperated look and poking his thigh hard.

"Ouch, love. Violent," he mumbled, rubbing his thigh lightly with his hand.

"Did I actually hurt you?" she asked, a bit surprised. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"No, you didn't, but if you would like to make it up to me–"

Rebekah clapped her hands over her ears on the other side of the table, her eyes tightly shut.

"I swear to god, Nik. That will never be funny. Ever."

"Well, that's your opinion."

"Yes. The _right _opinion."

There was a rustle from the nearby windows, and Caroline looked up to see the morning owl rush fly in. She reached up for her daily prophet, sticking two knuts into the pouch, and then realized that there were an abnormal amount of owls circling their table.

"Bollocks," she heard Klaus mumble beside her, making her grin.

She had been going to school at Hogwarts for nearly six years, and British slang still made her laugh.

That was when the owls started dropping letters. Caroline hastily pulled two platters towards her and shoved Klaus's plate away as the owls started dropping them in a large pile in front of him.

This continued for about five minutes until there were about thirty or forty letters piled on the table.

"Err...You going to want some help with those?" Rebekah asked.

Klaus just gave a long-suffering sigh and pushed a pile of letters each towards Rebekah and Caroline.

Rebekah reached for a letter and Caroline called out a panicked, "Wait!"

She pulled out her wand and did a curse detection spell. One of the letters in Rebekah's pile as well as two in hers glowed blue, and she and Klaus looked at each other warily before Caroline carefully levitated all three a few feet away.

Caroline tore open the first one in her pile without looking at the address.

_Dear Mr. Mikaelson,_

_I hope this letter finds you well. I would just like to extend my greatest sympathies for Representative Mikaelson's words in the Prophet. _

_If you are willing, I would appreciate an interview to be arranged at your convenience for–_

She set the letter aside, deciding to start two piles: Hate mail, and things that Klaus might actually want to see. That letter went in the second pile.

She tore open the next one.

_You should be ashamed of yourse–_

That one was quickly dropped in the "hate mail" pile. She went through three more letters (all going in the pile of things Klaus might want to see) before the next one's envelope made her pause at the logo.

"Klaus, I think this is from Puddlemere," she said, holding it out to him.

He took it warily, slitting the envelope open to read the letter, a small smile spreading on his face as he went. "What is it?" Caroline asked.

He shrugged. "Manager wrote to reassure me that they're sending someone regardless of my _illness, _and that he hopes that I show the scout a good game."

"That's great, Nik!" Rebekah said, smiling as she opened another letter from her pile before wrinkling her nose. "I didn't know that werewolf claws could be used as a potion ingredient."

"Not for anything legal," Caroline said warily. "You might want to show that to Professor Slughorn."

Rebekah shrugged. "He's offering loads of gold, though."

Klaus snorted. "Well, considering that Mikael's probably cut me off from family funds the moment that article came out, I think I could use i-_Ouch_. Caroline, you have to stop physically assaulting me everytime I say something you don't like."

"You're right. Sorry," she said, completely genuine.

She leaned over to kiss him on the cheek, making him grin, and levitated the cursed letters into a pile before waving her wand to bind them with a conjured string. "I'll just deliver those to Slughorn after breakfast, shall I?"

"I'll do it. I'd imagine Slughorn's going to want me to press charges for sending cursed letters to a student, and frankly if the curses are bad enough I'd like to do that."

"Okay," Caroline said agreeably. "Can you pass the quiche?"

**XXX**

"So, I think I must have missed something," Caroline said as she and Klaus sat down on the couch he'd conjured in the empty classroom, Tatia and Enzo sitting across from them. "What does this have to do with you, Tatia?"

"You didn't miss anything, I just haven't told you," Tatia said, her voice quiet but firm.

"All right, then. Please, do tell."

Caroline could tell that Klaus was on the edge of snapping, and she was surprised his voice had been so even. There was something about the situation that she felt she was missing-more than Tatia's participation (or lack thereof) in Mikael's plan.

Tatia sighed, recrossing her legs with her hands in her lap. "Well, Mikael approached me shortly after we...stopped seeing each other–"

"After you humiliated me in front of the entire school, you mean?"

Tatia nodded, not showing a trace of remorse. "Yes. Mikael accurately guessed that my intention with seeing you and Elijah was to obtain control, or at least _some _control, of the British seat of the ICW. He told me that he would give me control of a seat if I promised to continue his work on certain areas of international legislation, though I would be able to vote according to my own beliefs on other issues. As you may have guessed, he meant the dark creature laws."

"That seems like a terrible life choice, but continue," Caroline said, her voice saccharine.

"Right, well, I shortly became too distracted by Nadia's addiction problems, which occurred about three weeks after I gave him my agreement."  
"You really think that Mikael was your sister's _drug dealer_?" Caroline asked incredulously.

"'A' seat. Not 'the' seat," Klaus said quietly, and Tatia nodded.

"As soon as I figured out what was going on, I told him that I'd go to the ministry with it if he didn't help her, but he didn't agree. I couldn't prove anything, and if I'd gone to the Ministry with it, he would just have made me look like a power-hungry bitch."

"Which you were," Klaus pointed out, and Caroline shot him an exasperated glare, though Tatia just gave a sort of 'what-can-you-do' shrug of her shoulders.

"So, that's why you needed us. You can't put him away for Nadia's addiction problems alone because no one would believe you, but with the extra leverage from us you can get your revenge," Caroline said clinically.

Tatia nodded. "I figured out what was going on with you and Enzo quite quickly, though I doubt anyone else did. There were signs of Mikael's hand in it. The fact that he only seemed to be targeting Klaus, for example."

"I don't need to hear how you figured it out," Caroline cut in. "Just tell us what your plan is."

Tatia gave Caroline a small smile, though her expression couldn't have been any less kind. "Why don't you give that reporter a call."

"For an interview?" Caroline asked, frowning.

"Not Boot. We don't need an_ interview_. We need someone willing to expose all of Mikael's dirty little secrets as long as someone's willing to pay her the larger sum."

"Rita Skeeter," Caroline breathed.

"Ten points to Slytherin," Tatia mocked, and Caroline barely restrained herself from punching the bitch in the nose.

**XXX**

"And it's Salvatore with the Quaffle. Passes to Petrova, who passes back to Salvatore...He's flying to the hoops-_score!_ Twenty-zero to Slytherin."

The crowd cheered, Caroline with them, her eyes fixed on Klaus, who was flying the common figure-eight defense pattern. The scouts were in the stands today, and she was excited for them to see.

Though Puddlemere was clearly actively trying to reel Klaus in, scouts were mostly independent contractors that objectively ranked potential rookie players and brought the results back to the teams. Not all players had to be from the country or region of the team, and it wasn't unheard of for a player from Hogwarts being recruited to a team like the Woollongong Warriors, which was located on the east coast of Australia.

She watched as Klaus made a particularly good save and threw the Quaffle back to Hayley, who rocketed off towards the other side of the pitch. The game ended up being long and difficult, and she suspected that Rebekah was simply heading off the other Seeker whenever possible to give Klaus more time to show off.

Enzo had clearly had enough by an hour in, though. He called a time-out and she saw him scold Rebekah (though he didn't look all that put out), and once they were back up in the air, Rebekah caught the Snitch within fifteen minutes, leaving the final total as 210 to zero.

The Slytherin team piled together in a large group hug (which was really just Rebekah, Hayley, and Katherine dragging the boys into a hug while they all sulked and tried not to engage). Kol dismounted and clapped his brother on the back, congratulating him on a well played game and dusting off his Ravenclaw robes. Caroline headed down to the pitch and gave Klaus a soft, passionate kiss, making Rebekah and Kol gag dramatically (as they were wont to do when she and Klaus exchanged any public displays of affection).

"Mikaelson!"

Rebekah, Klaus, and Kol all looked up at once at the four people walking over, making Caroline laugh quietly.

"Klaus Mikaelson," the scout in the middle elaborated, shooting a small smile at the other two. "My name is Roger Davies, and this is Katie Bell and Adrian Pucey. The three of us are scouts for the United Kingdom league. This is Maximus Brankovitch the Third–"

"Please just call me Max," he said, shooting a dirty look at Davies.

"Right. Max represents the International teams that have shown interest."

"All right," Klaus said, clearly better prepared for the scouts than he'd been for when Oliver Wood had randomly turned up.

"We were just wondering if we could ask you a few questions. Sluggy's let us reserve a room on the first floor," Katie said kindly.

"Err...Yeah, that's fine," he said, nodding, before turning to Caroline. "I'll see you later."

She nodded and kissed him on the cheek before dragging Kol and Rebekah away (the former so that he wouldn't say anything to ruin Klaus's chances, the latter because she looked like she was ready to say something incredibly rude about Katie's robes, which, granted, were quite the fashion disaster), and they walked back to the rest of the team.

"Great job, Kat!" Caroline said, hugging her friend, who gave a very quick squeeze back before pulling away ("We're in _public, _Caroline!"), and giving Enzo and Damon a cursory nod.

"Congratulations."

"Thanks, gorgeous," Enzo said with a small smile.

**XXX**

"Fuck," Caroline muttered as she tried to reverse the inanimate object transfiguration charm (the snail she'd been trying to transfigure into a saltshaker had a metal shell with holes in it and nothing else very salt-shaker-ish).

They'd sent Rita an anonymous letter with a few small nuggets of information, knowing she'd go deeper, and were waiting each day for the article to come out. So far they'd had no luck, but Caroline was certain it would be soon.

Exams were coming up very quickly, and even though sixth year was supposed to be a rest between OWLs and NEWTs, it was still incredibly draining. Caroline and Klaus were currently studying for their Transfiguration exam (which really meant that Caroline was studying and Klaus was lazily transfiguring his school supplies into random objects, occasionally offering unsolicited advice and dodging her exasperated glares).

"It'll work better if the movement's more of a jab, sweetheart."

"I know."

"Well, clearly you don't because you're flicking, not jabbing."

Caroline pinned him with a glare and he put up his hands in surrender. "Sorry, love. Continue flicking away."

She finished the salt-shaker transfiguration and tried to transfigure it back to a snail a few times before she gave up. "Fine. I need help."

He turned to smirk at her. "Are you sure? I thought you knew how–"

"Klaus, I swear to god…"

He just gave her a dimpled grin and scooted closer to her, his body heat radiating from him, his scent and warmth enveloping her as he grabbed her hand in his, clearly prepared to guide her through the wand movement.

"You know, you could just show me the movement and I could copy you."

"But this is so much more fun," he said, his voice low and husky against her ear.

"Klaus, you're about to show me how to undo a transfiguration of a snail into a salt-shaker. There is nothing sexy about thi-_Don't! _I know that look. You are not taking that as a challenge."

He just smirked, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb and guiding her hand through the circular movement with the jab at the end. The salt shaker moved back into the shape of the snail, and Caroline was about to lower her wand when Klaus waved his again and the snail turned back into the salt shaker.

"Do it again."

She rolled her eyes and waved her wand, reversing the transfiguration on the first try.

They worked for another half hour or so before Caroline's floo turned purple and emitted a chiming noise to indicate the timer she'd set for when to switch subjects had finished. She tapped it with her finger to quiet it before pulling out her Ancient Runes flashcards and pushing them over to Klaus.

"Test me," Caroline ordered, causing Klaus to give her a small smile.

He held up the first one.

"Erwaz."

"Good. And it me–"

"Mr. Mikaelson?"

Slughorn was standing behind them, giving Klaus a small smile.

"Professor Slughorn."

"I'm going to need you to follow me to the Headmistress's office."

There was a low chorus of 'oooh' echoing around the room, as it often did when someone was publicly shown to be in trouble, and Slughorn glared at the general group of students before turning back to her and Klaus. "Miss Forbes, if you could please retrieve Miss Mikaelson and send her down as well, that would be very helpful."

"Yes, Professor," she said, getting up and shooting Klaus questioning look, which he returned with a shrug.

**XXX**

_Representative Mikael Mikaelson: Concerned Parent or Corrupt Menace?_

_by Rita Skeeter, Staff Society Writer_

_It is with great regret that this reporter must inform you that Mikael Mikaelson may not have had the best interests of the citizens of Wizarding Britain at heart. After being forced to step down last night in an emergency session of the ICW, Britain's seat will be held by Esther Mikaelson, Mikael's wife, until Elijah Mikaelson, their second son, graduates from Hogwarts in just a few months._

"_Why must Mikaelson resign?" you may be asking. Well, faithful readers, this reporter will set your concerns to rest._

_It has been discovered with indisputable evidence that Mikael Mikaelson was responsible for force-feeding Nadia Petrova, next-in-line for the Bulgarian ICW seat, addictive substances to force her to be unsuitable for the position once she became dependent. Through a combination of blackmail and bribery, he has sown the seeds of political corruption between Britain, Bulgaria, and Italy, which are known allies in the wizarding political circle. _

_Though Minister Shacklebolt is trying his best to assert control over the situation, it has gotten out of hand, and many are questioning his ability to run the Ministry competently if this was happening right under his nose._

_Less than a month ago, we discovered that Mikael Mikaelson's connection to the Werewolf Regulation Act that he'd proposed was very personal, and that if passed the law would affect his own son, Niklaus (though Mikael does not claim Niklaus as a son after he was infected by Lycanthropy). _

_It has also been revealed that he may have attempted to blackmail Hogwarts student Lorenzo Augustine, previously in a relationship with Caroline Forbes, daughter of the ICW Ambassador for the United States, to keep his son Niklaus and the Forbes heir separate. _

_Mikaelson was forced to resign before going peacefully to the holding cells at the Ministry of Magic at approximately eleven o'clock last night. He awaits a fair trial by the full Wizengamot._

_For more on Mikaelson's alleged crimes to the Bulgarian Representative family, see page D2_

_For more on Mikaelson's personal life, including the relationship with his estranged son, see page D4_

_For more on Mikaelson's alleged blackmail of Lorenzo Augustine and other parties, see page D5._

**XXX**

Caroline felt Klaus shake her lightly, and she woke up from her nap to find him looking at her, a small smile on his face. "We're arriving at the station," he said quietly, and she nodded sluggishly, sitting up.

"I'm going to miss you this summer," she said, making him grin.

"Don't worry, love. I'll write you long, intricately detailed letters about Quidditch training that will be more information than you ever wanted. You won't miss me as much, then."

She snorted derisively. "No. I'll feel exactly the way I always feel whenever we're one or two days before a Quidditch match."

He gave her a small smile. "Right. Well, I'll be living at the Quidditch program for more than half of the summer, but I'm thinking that I might let out a one-room flat for the last month of it."

She didn't bother to ask why, knowing that it probably had something to do with the unpleasant memories he associated with his childhood home. "That sounds nice."

"Would you like to stay with me for part of the summer?'

"Sure. That also sounds nice."

He gave her a dimpled smile and helped her get her trunk down from the luggage rack before placing a hand on the small of her back and walked her out to the platform. She waved at her father and Steven, who gave her huge smiles. "Hey, Carebear," her dad greeted, pulling her into a hug.

"Hey, Dad."

Steven gave her a short hug as well before both of them turned to Klaus, who reintroduced himself and made small talk for a few moments about the school year before excusing himself, kissing Caroline on the cheek and wishing her a happy summer, making her promise to write him.

The year was over, and things hadn't gone at all to plan, but her life worked out all the better because of that. She didn't know what the future held for her, but she couldn't help but feel like she was capable of anything if she set her mind to it, and that a whole world of possibility had opened up to her.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! What did we think about the wrap-up? Are we satisfied with Mikael's comeuppance? Are you satisfied with how the story tied together? What do we think will happen in the epilogue?  
Please, _please _review, or I won't know what you think about the story.  
See you at the epilogue ;)  
Hugs!  
-Angie**


	13. Epilogue

**A/N: Thank you to Sophie &amp; Wifey for help with this. More notes at the bottom.**  
**Enjoy!**  
**-Angie**

* * *

"Happy Graduation."

"Happy Graduation, love," Klaus echoed, kissing her on the tip of her nose before muffling her giggles with his lips.

She pulled back, beaming. She'd "officially" introduced him to her parents for longer than a few minutes (her mom had actually turned up for once, which probably shouldn't have surprised Caroline as much as it had), and it had gone better than terribly, which was always a good start.

Klaus and her father were still a bit awkward around each other because of the history with the legislation, but Steven had taken a liking to Klaus almost right away, and Caroline's mom was surprisingly accepting.

Caroline had sent her diploma and her barely-won certificate as top of the class home with her father, and after the parents (or, in Klaus's case, his siblings and mother) had left, they had a night before they took the Hogwarts Express for the last time.

"You're going to write me, right?" Caroline asked, smiling at him.

"Of course. Have you figured out where you're staying for your internship yet?"

Caroline shrugged. "No. I'm sure I will soon though. I have a few weeks."

"You could always stay with me if you'd like. Until you find your own place, I mean."

He looked uncharacteristically nervous, and she smiled, pressing a kiss to his lips. "I'll seriously consider it."

"So that's a yes, then?"

"Arrogant."

"You love it."

"I love _you_, not your arrogance," Caroline said, keeping her tone casual.

The smirk that overtook Klaus's face was almost predatory, and he let his hands fall low enough on her waist to not be entirely appropriate for public eyes. "Do you, now?"

"Yep."

"Good to know."

She raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"What? I've loved you since I was fourteen. This isn't news," he said teasingly.

"You've never said it," she pointed out.

"Perhaps not, but you knew."

"Nice to hear you say it every once in a while anyway."

He gave her a dimpled smile. "Duly noted."

"Ass."

"One who loves you."

"Nice save—Oh my god, Klaus, don't you _dare _make a pun and say that that's your job because I might just kill you."

Klaus's mouth snapped shut, but he was clearly fighting down a smile.

**XXX**

"Klaus, look, it came!" Caroline yelled excitedly, grabbing the red-crested envelope the owl had just delivered on their windowsill, running back to the room they (temporarily, at least in theory, since she'd been living with him for almost six months) shared and thrusting it at him while he sat up sleepily, running a hand through his hair.

They'd graduated a few months before, and Caroline was technically staying at his apartment until she could get her own place (as far as her parents knew), but both of them knew that she hadn't been looking very hard.

Or at all.

"I see that. I'll need tea before I become functional enough to read it."

"Are you not excited?" Caroline asked, flipping the switch on the coffee maker and smirking slightly as Klaus huffed at her coffee addiction (as he did every morning) and Caroline smiled behind her coffee mug, resisting the urge to give him an equal amount of shit about drinking tea.

"Of course I'm excited, love. Just not enough to attempt to process all the information without proper caffeine in my system."

"Don't you want to see what it says?" she persisted.

"I know what it says. It's too big to be a rejection letter," Klaus said, not looking up from the kettle as he filled it and set it to boil.

"You are such an arrogant—"

"You love it," he interrupted, sending her a dimpled smile.

She scoffed, unable to keep her lips from twitching into a smile.

"Only sometimes."

"When do you not love it?"

"It's sort of a case-by-case basis. I can't give you rules," she said dryly, putting some bread in the toaster.

He hummed to show he'd heard, grabbing the toast when it popped up before she could.

"Okay, I didn't love it there," she said, glaring at him and reaching out, wriggling her fingers to imply that he should _give her the goddamn toast_.

"You should just let me have it. Celebration toast," he said with his mouth full of _her _food, and she made a gagging face, making him cough as he tried to swallow and laugh at the same time.

"Keep being an ass and you probably won't get celebration anything."

"You like my arse."

"Your ass? Yes. You _being _an ass? Not so much."

He drained the last of his tea and grabbed the parchment envelope off of the counter where she'd set it, tearing it open, scanning it quickly before handing it to her. "First string reserve."

"That's great! I'm so proud of you."

He smiled, lifting his arm slightly so that she could hug him without having to squeeze between him and the counter, and she rested her forehead against his shoulder. "This is so great!" she repeated, moving slightly to the side to read the letter, still pressed against him.

"They're not in our floo district," Klaus said, frowning as he tried to figure out how the commute would work.

Floo districts worked similarly to muggle area codes and zip codes. You could floo within your district easily, but in order to floo to other districts, you had to go to a floo checkpoint, which connected to all the other checkpoints in the country, as well as an international checkpoint.

You had to pay money to use the checkpoint floos, much like public transportation, and the longer the distance was the more it cost.

"We'll have to move, I suppose," he said.

She hummed absently, nodding, before processing what pronoun he'd used, and trying to fight down the giant smile that spread across her face, which she knew he could feel, judging by the way his chest was moving as he chuckled.

"Don't laugh at me," she mumbled, feeling her face heat.

"I'm not, love. I'm not."

**XXX**

"I'm so proud of you," she half-squealed, hugging him tightly, a giant smile on her face. "You were amazing!"

"Thank you, sweetheart."

"Do you want me to make cake? I should make cake. Or maybe we could go out to eat? I know Elijah, Kol, Bonnie, and Bekah were here, but they were in a different box. We can wait for them to come out and all go do something," she rambled excitedly, turning around to see him looking at her in amusement. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just nice that you're so excited for me."

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked, unable to stop bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. "This is exciting! Puddlemere won the Quidditch League Cup of the United Kingdom. _It's a big deal_, Klaus!"

He shrugged. "It's not so much that I thought you wouldn't be. It just sort of surprises me sometimes how much you care. I don't mean to say that I don't think you do all the time, but I'm just not used to someone being so invested in my happiness, I suppose."

Her lips twitched. "Well, I'm very invested in your happiness, and you need to tell me what you want to do to celebrate."

"Let's go home."

She frowned. "Okay...Well, that sounds nice. I'm sure that I can bully Kol into making dinner, and we can hang out, and–"

"Not with my siblings. Just you."

"Yeah?" she asked, smirking. "Well, if that's how you want to celebrate…"

**XXX**

"Caroline, I love you, but I don't think you need to interfere with this particular issue."

"But she's single, _he's _single, they'd be good for each other," Caroline said, already plotting how to stick Elijah and Katherine together in a room until they caved.

Klaus sighed. "Yes, all of those things are true. However, Katerina has seemed quite content on her own building a career and having casual relationships. Do you really want to interfere with something that works for her?" Klaus asked, his voice tentative.

Caroline sighed. "I guess not. I just want everyone to be as happy as we are, I guess."

He smiled, slinging an arm around her shoulders as she cuddled into him on the couch. "That's a rather high bar."

She knew he meant it teasingly, but it was pretty true.

Katherine _was _happy, though. She was one of the most respected freelance (legally practicing) Hit Witches in Europe, and Caroline had a feeling that she wasn't looking to settle down anytime soon (or ever).

Elijah was straight-laced, but Katherine would help him loosen up. They really were perfect for each other, but now that Klaus mentioned it…

If it was going to happen, it would happen, and it didn't mean Caroline couldn't pointedly invite them to the same family functions, right?

She already had one successful match-up under her belt anyway (Kol and her co-worker Bonnie), and she should probably quit while she was ahead.

"We should turn in. Your mom is expecting us early tomorrow," Caroline said, not moving.

"She can wait. We're not going to get any less engaged if we leave an hour later."

Caroline laughed. "It's not nice to waste her time. She's really busy with the ICW stuff, as well as everything else, especially now that she's about to hand off the seat to your brother, and you know that's stressing her out. It's the least we can do to help out with our own engagement party."

"You don't have to skirt around the issue, love. I know that 'everything else' means that Mikael's about to be out on parole."

"He is, but he won't bother you. I won't let him."

Klaus smiled slightly. "Don't take this the wrong way, but it's adorable when you get protective."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I am the American representative for the ICW and a respected Potions Master _and _the inventor of the improved Wolfsbane Potion, so I'd say I have some clout."

"I just hope you'll let me stay in your presence once you take over the world."

"Please. As much as I'd love to, I think we both know that being a hereditarily chosen representative is about the extent of my political ability. I'm not very good at people pleasing."

"Sometimes doing the right thing makes people unhappy."

"That's true."

They laid there in silence for a moment before Caroline spoke again. "Also, friendly reminder, you can't kill Enzo."

"I know," Klaus said dryly.

"Rebekah _really _likes him."

"I know."

**XXX**

She had no idea that being in a relationship with a professional Quidditch player would be so _stressful_. It wasn't even Klaus's schedule, which she expected to be annoying, but hadn't turned out to be a problem.

It was the Quidditch wives (and husbands, to be fair).

He had been on the team for eight years, and in those eight years she had grown to loathe going to games when she wasn't in the regular crowd. The spouses of the players tended to be cliquey and rude, and though Caroline had become good friends with one or two of them, as a general rule she would rather boil herself in a half-done swelling solution than go to events.

Klaus knew, of course, and he generally bribed her extensively to attend them when she needed to, which wasn't often. She could beg off for work most of the time, Potions research didn't come out of thin air, after all. This did mean that when she _did _go, the others wouldn't fucking stop talking to her.

"Caroline! It is so lovely to see you," Gabrielle said, her heavy French accent laced with faux-sweetness, making Caroline want to strangle her as they exchanged air kisses.

Gabrielle Wood was a stunningly beautiful half-veela and married to Oliver Wood, the head coach of the team, as well as belonging to the family of the French delegates to the ICW, the Delacours (though she and her sister had married out and let her cousin take her place).

In other words, Caroline had to play nice.

"It's nice to see you too."

"We have not seen you in a while. How have you been?"

"I've been doing well, thank you. And yourself?"  
"Fine, fine," Gabrielle said, waving off Caroline's question. "I have seen some articles in the Potions Monthly that say that you are making progress on your latest project. My brother-in-law speaks highly of you, of course, as he always does."

Caroline doubted that Gabrielle had cracked open a Potions Monthly in her life.

"Thank you. That's very kind of him. Bill is really great. He's helped me out a lot."

"Is there any other news? It has been so long since I saw you last, Caroline. You must have something."

"No. There hasn't been much going on," Caroline said, trying to keep her smile from becoming too stiff.

Luckily, she was saved by the cough behind her, and she turned to see Klaus come up, looping an arm around her waist. "Gabrielle, would you mind if I stole away Caroline for just a moment?"

"Not at all."

"Thanks," Caroline said once they were out of Gabrielle's earshot.

"Not a problem. You looked like you needed saving."

"That's your job, isn't it?" she teased.

"In more ways than one, I suppose."

She elbowed him lightly in the side and he grinned, offering his hand to dance with her so that they could talk. She took it, and he began to guide her around the dance floor, both of them falling into step easily.

"I really appreciate you coming, sweetheart."

"You wanted me to come," she said simply, smiling at him.

"I know, but you don't exactly enjoy coming to events that aren't games."  
"That's true."  
"So thank you."

"You don't need to thank me, Klaus. We all make sacrifices for the greater good," she teased.

He nodded, smiling slightly. They danced a bit more before he grasped her hand, lacing his fingers through hers as they made their rounds of small talk before bidding the others goodbye before leaving to the floo area, his hand moving to rest possessively on her hip.

With a whoosh of flame they were back in their apartment, and he unzipped her cocktail dress, moving her hair aside to kiss her neck. "Would you like me to follow through on my promise tonight, or wait until you're less tired?"

She scoffed before moaning slightly as his teeth scraped pleasurably against her neck. "Tomorrow's the full moon."

"I'm aware of that. Even if I wasn't experiencing pre-transformation symptoms, you've circled all of them on our calendar and added what time moonset and moonrise is," he said between brushes of his lips against her skin.

"You can't blame me for being prepared."

"No, I can't, I suppose."

"I think I'm going to stay human tomorrow, if that's okay. I have a lot of work to do."

He paused, pulling back slightly. "You know that I don't mind at all, Caroline."

"So you say, but I know you like it."

"I like you in all forms, even when you're a fox."  
"Even?" she joked.

"You know what I mean, love."

"I do."

She bent down to unfasten her shoes, kicking them off and laughed when he pulled her back to him before she could move towards their bedroom.

"You bribed me with rough sex, Klaus. I need you to deliver. Unless you're not in the mood anymore," she said teasingly, moaning softly when he ground himself against her ass, his hands moving to cup her breasts, squeezing lightly.

"I always want you," he mumbled before tugging her earlobe lightly with his teeth and then smiling against her sensitive skin under her ear. "But yes, now would be an excellent time. I've spent the entire night trying to resist pressing you against the wall in front of everyone and tugging that tight little dress of your body. I wanted to make you scream for me."

"Do I ever not scream for you when you fuck me?" she asked dryly, the effect somewhat ruined by the loud moan she let out right afterwards as he pinched her nipples a bit harshly through her bra, goosebumps appearing on her skin as she shivered in pleasure, a stab of arousal hitting her core.

"Not that I can remember."

She elbowed him lightly. "Rude."

"You did ask, love."

"True," she acknowledged, tipping her head to the side. "Right there, please. _Fuck_."

"You like that?" he mumbled, his voice husky.

"Yes," she hissed, spreading her legs slightly as his hand worked its way between them. "I want you to fuck me so badly," she panted, mostly for his benefit. He liked hearing the filthy words fall from her lips almost as much as he liked her to beg, something she'd learned early on.

"Do you?"

She hummed in assent.

"Tell me."

"Do you suddenly need instructions on how to bend me over our bed and take me from behind while I scream for you? I'm happy to be a bit more straightforward about it and tell you exactly what I want."

"Did you really just question my ability to make you come?"

"No, not your ability, just your strategy."

"Rather harsh of you, love."

"No one ever accused me of being tactful. I need you to fuck me now, please and thank you."

* * *

~ All was well ~

* * *

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading. I'd love to hear your thoughts on how the story wrapped up. The only way I'll know what you think is if you tell me ;)**

**Thank you to Sophie, Wifey, and D for all their help with this fic, and to Cassie and Giulia for kicking my ass to write it when I lost inspiration. **

**If you don't follow me on tumblr and you want more up-to-date information on my fics, my url is thetourguidebarbie. ****If there were things about this fic that you wanted to see that we didn't, you are welcome to put in an outtake request on my tumblr (scenes from Caroline's childhood, Klaus's childhood, post-epilogue parts, etc.), and as long as they fit with my headcanon, I'll do them.**

**Hugs!  
-Angie**


	14. Outtake: Caroline's Transformation

**A/N: As some of you might know, I take requests for outtakes of my fics on tumblr. Klarolineforevermine requested this as a birthday gift. This outtake takes place in the Diplomacy universe, so I'm posting it here ;)**

**This takes place in Klaus and Caroline's seventh year after she completes her animagus transformation. This is the first time Wolf!Klaus meets Caroline's animagus form (and then obviously they have human sex in the forest the next morning, because why not). NSFW.**

* * *

"And you're sure you want to do this?" Klaus asked for the fifth time in the last ten minutes.

"Of course," Caroline said impatiently, squeezing his hand as they walked to the forest.

It was dusk, the moon not yet out, and Klaus had downed his Wolfsbane potion with his dinner (which was less of a hassle now that everyone knew he was a werewolf and he could take it with food).

Caroline had finally been cleared to use her animagus form out of instruction, having registered it with the ministry the week before, and she wanted to join Klaus on his transformations.

They'd been having small arguments for the last week as the full moon approached and Klaus grew more worried that something would go wrong (and Caroline would get more irritated that, in her view, he didn't think she could handle it). When they reached the forest edge, Caroline cupped his cheek, kissing him softly, and his hands immediately rested on her hips, pulling her flush against him, deepening the kiss.

He flinched in pain a few seconds later, his first signs that the transition was starting, and she let go, taking a deep breath and letting herself transform.

It was always odd getting used to the sensations of her other form, but it was even weirder when she was outside. The scents and sounds were very different from the castle. She sat and watched Klaus as he transformed, her human instincts needing to comfort him, her fox instincts wanting to run from the perceived threat.

She stayed in place though, waiting, and when he finally was fully in his wolf form, shaking himself before looking at her, she couldn't help but want to investigate.

She walked towards him, cautiously at first before bumping her nose against his face, and he let her inhale his scent and press against him before withdrawing. He bounded towards the forest and turned to look at her, expecting her to follow, and she sped after him.

They played a silly form of tag while she got used to her new body. She'd dart through the trees and he'd follow her, tackling her to the ground and rolling off so that she could take off again. They eventually found themselves in the clearing they'd been in before, and Klaus shook before lying down. She padded towards him, lying next to him, her body pressed against his fur, assuring her inner fox that she was safe with him. She let her eyes droop closed, happy to snuggle against his warmth, and she drifted off soon after.

She woke to a foreign but pleasurable sensation and opened her eyes slowly to see an amused human Klaus running his hand through her fur.

She nipped playfully at his hand (seriously? Was he seriously _petting_ her?) before closing her eyes again to concentrate, willing herself to turn back into her human form. As soon as her transformation completed, she felt Klaus's arm wrap around her waist, pulling her against his front and burying his face in her hair.

"See, that wasn't so bad," she said, very aware of Klaus's hands stroking the skin of her stomach under her blouse with one hand, the other already slowly undoing the buttons of her cardigan.

"It was enjoyable," he said. "I do enjoy you in human form, however."

She smirked, though she knew he couldn't see it. He was hardening against her, his lips brushing against the sensitive skin of her neck as he freed the last button of her cardigan, and she wriggled in his arms so that she could pull it off, highly aware of the way he ground against her ass from the movement.

"You have no idea how much I've wanted you the past few days," he said quietly, scraping his teeth and lips along her neck as he spoke. "You've been so busy with exams that you've made me crave you from afar."

"I'll make it up to you now," she offered, reaching behind her to stroke his cock, but he grabbed her wrist, his other hand still stroking her abdomen. He pressed a soft kiss to her neck before nipping her ear.

"Keep them together above your head. I want to touch you."

She obeyed, shivering as he trailed a finger down her waist before tugging at the hem of her blouse, pulling it over her head. He cupped her breast through the fabric of her bra, and she moaned as his other hand unfastened her jeans.

"Klaus…"

He smirked against her neck, scraping his teeth along her skin. "Do you remember the first time we did this?"

She nodded, gasping as his hand moved under the fabric of her jeans to rub her clit through the lace of her thong. "Yeah. Of course."

She'd been right when she theorized his sex drive was higher around the full moon, and he definitely had certain things he preferred more than others.

"You're soaking for me, Caroline," he said, his voice low and husky, and she couldn't hold back an almost embarrassingly needy moan as he pressed hard against her clit through the lace, the fabric wet with her arousal.

In one smooth movement, he flipped her to face him and settled on top of her, bending to kiss her neck as he reached behind her to undo the clasp of her bra, tugging it away before taking a nipple in his mouth as he shoved her jeans down her legs, pressing the heel of his palm against her center, making her cry out, her back arching as she tugged his hair.

He grabbed her wrists, pinning them above her head with one hand before his other ripped away the only scrap of fabric still covering her, pressing two fingers inside of her, curling them against her g-spot.

"I love watching you like this, sweetheart. You're flushed and spread for me, moaning from my touch."

"Klaus…" she whined, rolling her hips against his fingers, which were going frustratingly slow, watching him smirk through heavily-lidded eyes. "Faster, please…"

She could see from every muscle straining that he was holding himself back, just wanting to see how much he could make her beg before he took her. "I need you inside of me," she gasped. "I want you to claim me, Klaus. I want you to fuck me from behind."

He bent to press a kiss to her lips before letting go of her wrists and pulling his fingers away from her to let her turn on her knees. He pushed inside of her in one smooth thrust, giving her just a moment to adjust to his size before gripping her hips tightly, hitting her g-spot with every thrust.

Caroline couldn't stay quiet, her gasps and moans filling the air as he moved, the pleasurable roughness of his movements making her gasp, her need building in her lower belly as she gasped out his name.

"Do you like it when I fuck you from behind, love? Do you like the way I claim you?"

"Yes," she gasped, her breath catching in her throat as she felt herself approach the edge, needing just a bit more to get release. "I love it when you take me, when you make me yours," she panted out, and that seemed to be the push he needed.

She heard him growl low in his throat, felt him reach around to pinch her nipple, his other hand tugging at her hair, and she came hard around him, sobbing out his name, how much she needed him, how good it felt to come around him, and he fucked her through her orgasm, coming inside of her moments later and slumping on top of her, nuzzling the back her neck and pressing a kiss to it, his teeth and tongue dancing along her skin as he made marks appear, and she hummed in contentment as she leaned back against him.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think :)  
Hugs!  
-Angie**


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